"Sign of the Times" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by The Belle Stars | ||||
from the album The Belle Stars | ||||
B-side | "Madness" | |||
Released | December 30, 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1982 | |||
Genre | New wave | |||
Length | 2:56 5:50 (Extended Remix) | |||
Label | Stiff | |||
Songwriter(s) | Lesley Shone, Jennie Matthias, Miranda Joyce, Sarah-Jane Owen, Judy Parsons, Stella Barker, Clare Hirst | |||
Producer(s) | Peter Collins | |||
The Belle Stars singles chronology | ||||
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"Sign of the Times" is a song by English pop/new wave band the Belle Stars, released as the fourth single from the band's self-titled only studio album. It was their seventh single overall and first single written by the band since 1981's "Another Latin Love Song". The single was the band's only top ten hit, reaching No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart in the week of 19 February 1983, [1] and was subsequently listed by the Official Charts Company as the 31st best-selling single of 1983 in the UK. [2] It also entered on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 75 in the week of 14 May 1983. [3]
The music video features the band wearing tuxedos and performing the song in a dark building with flashing blue lights.
In 1982, the Belle Stars released three cover versions: "Iko Iko" by the Dixie Cups, "The Clapping Song" by Shirley Ellis, and "Mockingbird" by Inez & Charlie Foxx. Dave Robinson at Stiff Records, the band's record company, suggested that the band ought to perform covers to attract audiences, then after three covers write their own song, and it would be a hit. This happened to come true when the band released "Sign of the Times".
Chart (1983) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [4] | 2 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [5] | 3 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [6] | 6 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [7] | 21 |
Norway (VG-lista) [8] | 7 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [9] | 10 |
UK Singles (OCC) [10] | 3 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [11] | 75 |
US Dance Club Songs ( Billboard ) [12] | 43 |
Chart (1983) | Position |
---|---|
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders) [13] | 56 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [14] | 66 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [15] | 49 |
The Belle Stars were a British pop/rock band. Formed in 1980, they are best known for their 1983 hit single "Sign of the Times" as well as their cover of "Iko Iko" originally released in 1982 and featured on the soundtrack to the film Rain Man in 1988.
"Iko Iko" is a much-covered New Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two tribes of Mardi Gras Indians and the traditional confrontation. The song, under the original title "Jock-A-Mo", was written and released in 1953 as a single by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford and his Cane Cutters but it failed to make the charts.
"One Day in Your Life" is a song recorded by American singer Michael Jackson for his 1975 album, Forever, Michael. Music written by Sam Brown III and lyrics by Renée Armand, it was later released on March 20, 1981 as a single from the compilation album One Day in Your Life due to the commercial interest that generated from the sales of Jackson's hit 1979 album Off the Wall, despite the fact that Jackson had released that album on Epic Records instead of Motown.
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"Don't Leave Me This Way" is a song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert. It was originally released in 1975 by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass, an act signed to Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International label. "Don't Leave Me This Way" was subsequently covered by American singer Thelma Houston in 1976 and British duo the Communards in 1986, with both versions achieving commercial success.
"Hot Water" is a single released in 1984 by the English jazz-funk band Level 42. It was released a couple of weeks before the band's studio album True Colours (1984). The single reached #18 on the UK Singles Chart and was a top ten hit in the Netherlands and Norway. The song was produced by Ken Scott.
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