Listen to this track by under appreciated British power-pop/new wave outfit The Only Ones, their signature tune which should have been a worldwide hit, but wasn’t – “Another Girl, Another Planet”. The song is taken from the band’s 1978 debut album, the Only Ones.

This is one of those songs which had “hit” written all over it, but failed to perform when it was released. It received attention only years afterwards, when audiences realized too late how great a tune it is. It has the ferocity of punk, the adolescent charm of power-pop, and the accessibility of any radio single of the time (it has the same chord progression as Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'”!). Yet, chartwise, it did nothing.

This could be that the song was not really about a girl, so much as being about lead singer Peter Perret‘s drug habit. Even in 1978, perhaps this wouldn’t play on commercial radio, although the Monks’ “Drugs in My Pocket” which came out the following year seemed to do OK, even if that was a tongue in cheek drug song.

The Only Ones floundered in obscurity for many years, splitting up after recording their third album in 1980. But, they managed to keep on the radar of music fans through cover versions of this song. This tune has been heavily covered by a range of artists, from power-popper Greg Kihn, to shambolic indie heroes the Replacements, and onto more modern interpretations from pop-punk revivalists Blink 182. Another cover version was submitted by Pete Doherty’s Babyshambles, appropriately enough given the probable drug references.

In more recent years, the group reconvened, partially on the back of the exposure they enjoyed when UK telecoms company Vodaphone used “Another Girl, Another Planet” for their TV campaign ads. As a result, they hit the festival circuit, as well as popular TV shows in Britain like Later.. With Jools Holland.

For more information about the band, check out the Only Ones official site.

Enjoy!