Edwyn Collins - Gorgeous George (June 20, 1995)
"A Girl Like You" became one of Bar/None's unlikeliest hits when it soared up the U.S. charts in the summer of 1995. The stylish, acerbic, witty singer/songwriter Edwyn Collins had been a working musician for 15 years when - after a successful stint as the lead singer of post-punk hitmakers Orange Juice - he released his first solo album, Gorgeous George, in 1994. The critics hated it - the reviewer from England's esteemed Guardian advised Collins to give up music and find another job - but "A Girl Like You" (written as a tribute to Iggy Pop) caught the public's fancy, first in England and then across Europe. (A little known fact: Paul Cook, drummer of the Sex Pistols, played vibraphone on the track.)
The song samples the drums track of Len Barry's 1965 hit "1-2-3". It appeared onscreen for the first time in the Empire Records soundtrack, and again in the music for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. It's also been featured on television on the shows Cleopatra 2525 and Spin City, and in a commercial for Marks & Spencer. Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song as a bonus track on their 2007 video game Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Bar/None signed Collins in 1995, and "A Girl Like You" proved just as popular in the United States, which resulted in Collins and his band performing the track on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
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| Conan O'Brien's cue cards |
Edwyn Collins' "A Girl Like You" on iTunes.
This video was produced by John Flansburgh of They Might By Giants.
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