A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS : WHO'S THAT GIRL [JIVE - ESP 1985] 7'

A Flock Of Seagulls  "Who's That Girl?"  single 7"

(Jive)  1985  made in Spain

cat. num. JIVE 106

#synth pop  #new wave

Hairdresser Mike Score (lead vocals, keyboards) formed A Flock of Seagulls with his brother Ali(drums) and fellow hairdresser Frank Maudsley (bass) in 1980, adding guitarist Paul Reynolds several months later. Bill Nelson's Cocteau Records label issued their first song, the stand-alone single "(It's Not Me) Talking," which reached number 78 on the U.K. singles chart in 1981. The band's debut EP, Modern Love Is Automatic followed quickly on the same label, and its lead track, "Telecommunication," became an underground hit in Euro-disco and new wave clubs. A Flock of Seagulls signed a major-label contract with Jive by the end of the year, and their eponymous debut album appeared in the spring of 1982. 

It was their third single and first with Jive, "I Ran (So Far Away)," that brought them out of the clubs and into heavy rotation on MTV. Featuring shots of the band and Score's distinctive winged hairstyle, the song's music video became a staple of the summer of 1982, and "I Ran" climbed into the American Top Ten, taking their debut album along with it. The follow-up single "Space Age Love Song" also charted, peaking at number 30. Meanwhile, in the U.K., "I Ran" just missed the Top 40, but "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" reached number ten later in the year; in the States, that single became a Top 40 hit in 1983. "Wishing" was taken from the group's second LP, 1983's Listen, which landed in the Top 20 in the U.S., the U.K., and Canada, among other countries. The band had their final U.K. Top 40 hit in 1984 with "The More You Live, the More You Love" from 1984's The Story of a Young Heart, which reached number 30 on the album chart. The song and LP fared slightly less well in the U.S., charting in the 50s and 60s, respectively. Reynolds left soon after and was replaced by Gary Steadman; the band also added keyboardist Chris Chryssaphis. Still crafting club-minded synth pop, the new lineup was showcased on 1986's Dream Come True, which failed to chart, though the single "Who's That Girl (She's Got It)" made an appearance in the U.K. Top 75.