Listen to this track by British new wave concern Modern English. It’s their 1982 smash-hit “I Melt With You”, an effervescent tune that lit up the charts, several movie soundtracks of that era, and ones to come.

The song appeared initially on their After The Snow album, their second on the now legendary and still-active 4AD label, released in May of 1982. But, from the label that would champion artists that existed initially on the fringes, this song scored a placement on Billboard’s Hot 100 that year. It would be the theme of the movie Valley Girl (starring a very young Nicolas Cage), where it gained its audience, and would appear in many other films besides, and with a number of cover versions from artists from Bowling For Soup to Jason Mraz.

It would certainly ensure Modern English’s place in pop history, being one of the most tuneful pop songs of the decade.

But, apart from the clear roots in post-punk that this band had when they formed in 1979, what cultural nerve did this song hit to make it so popular? Read more