When Michael met up with me yesterday for lunch at Le Pain Quotidien, he was singing "Just Got Lucky," the feel-good 1983 hit by JoBoxers. And as we left, he was still singing it. (I'm guessing he heard it on the radio or something, but I didn't even ask -- it just immediately got stuck in my head, too, and I arrived at work singing it later in the evening!) The song reached the Top 5 in the band's native U.K., but peaked at No. 36 in America. "Come on Eileen" and "Too Shy" were the big New Wave hits that year, but in retrospect, it would be hard to say either compares to this infectious soul-pop gem. Interestingly, 1983 was also the year that "I Melt With You" came out and stalled at No. 78, yet it went on to become one of the most-played songs of the era! JoBoxers are definitely a one-hit wonder in the States. But back home, they had another Top 5 prior to "Just Got Lucky" called "Boxerbeat," which you can check out below. Footnote: After the band's sophomore album bombed, the band's sole American, singer Dig Wayne, tried his luck at a solo career before eventually moving back to America to pursue his acting career. While he only had one hit in America, he's worked consistently as an actor since 1990, having appeared on "Cold Case," "Dexter," "ER" and "CSI" in recent years.Thursday, January 21, 2010
Music Box: JoBoxers
When Michael met up with me yesterday for lunch at Le Pain Quotidien, he was singing "Just Got Lucky," the feel-good 1983 hit by JoBoxers. And as we left, he was still singing it. (I'm guessing he heard it on the radio or something, but I didn't even ask -- it just immediately got stuck in my head, too, and I arrived at work singing it later in the evening!) The song reached the Top 5 in the band's native U.K., but peaked at No. 36 in America. "Come on Eileen" and "Too Shy" were the big New Wave hits that year, but in retrospect, it would be hard to say either compares to this infectious soul-pop gem. Interestingly, 1983 was also the year that "I Melt With You" came out and stalled at No. 78, yet it went on to become one of the most-played songs of the era! JoBoxers are definitely a one-hit wonder in the States. But back home, they had another Top 5 prior to "Just Got Lucky" called "Boxerbeat," which you can check out below. Footnote: After the band's sophomore album bombed, the band's sole American, singer Dig Wayne, tried his luck at a solo career before eventually moving back to America to pursue his acting career. While he only had one hit in America, he's worked consistently as an actor since 1990, having appeared on "Cold Case," "Dexter," "ER" and "CSI" in recent years.
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2 comments:
JoBoxers were wonderful! Here in SoCal, KROQ played alot of their first few singles on heavy rotation.
Great track. I toyed with the idea of covering it. I think it was used in the movie "40 Year Old Virgin."
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