"Best Years of Our Lives" is a song recorded by English band Modern Romance. It was released in October 1982 as a 7-inch single and 12-inch single by WEA. A Japanese and German edition was also released.[1][2][3]
| "Best Years of Our Lives" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Modern Romance | ||||
| from the album Trick of the Light, Party Tonight, The Platinum Collection | ||||
| Released | October 1982 | |||
| Genre | Pop, salsa, new wave | |||
| Length | 2:35 | |||
| Label | WEA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Geoffrey Deane, David Jaymes | |||
| Producer(s) | Tony Visconti | |||
| Modern Romance singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Formats
edit7-inch single
editThe 7-inch single was available in two versions:
- Best Years of Our Lives
- We've Got Them Running (The Counting Song)
A limited edition "Xmas Party Mix" remix of the song became available as a 7-inch single over Christmas 1982, which received substantial radio airplay in place of the original version over Christmas 1982.
12-inch single
edit- Best Years of Our Lives (Parts 1&2) Midnight Mix
- Best Years of Our Lives (Parts 1&2) Extended Mix
- We've Got Them Running (The Counting Song)
Chart position
edit| Chart (1982–1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] | 89 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 6 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | 11 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 4 |
History
edit"Best Years of Our Lives" was the biggest-selling single for Modern Romance. It was the first single to feature Michael J. Mullins as lead vocalist and peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart in late 1982. The single can be found on Modern Romance's hit albums Trick of the Light (1983) and Party Tonight (1983). It also made an appearance on their farewell single "Best Mix of Our Lives" (1985) in a medley with four other singles: "High Life", "Don't Stop That Crazy Rhythm", "Everybody Salsa", and "Ay Ay Ay Ay Moosey". It served as a 7-inch single [re-mix] on the B-side of "Best Mix of Our Lives" and as a 12-inch single [re-mix] on the B-side of the 12-inch version of "Best Mix...".
The original B-side, "We've Got Them Running (The Counting Song)", was taken from the Modern Romance debut studio album Adventures in Clubland and features the lead vocals of Geoff Deane. It was written by Modern Romance founder member David Jaymes.[5] The latest appearance of "Best Years..." is on the compilation CD Modern Romance: The Platinum Collection (2006).[6][7][8]
As part of a long string of cover version songs, Black Lace released their re-creation in 1989.
Personnel
edit- Michael J. Mullins – vocals
- David Jaymes – bass guitar
- Robbie Jaymes – synthesizer
- Paul Gendler – guitar
- John Du Prez – trumpet
- Andy Kyriacou – drums
- Tony Visconti – producer (music)
- Geoff Deane – vocals (on We've Got Them Running (The Counting Song))
Baha Men cover
edit| "Best Years of Our Lives" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Baha Men | ||||
| from the album Shrek: Music from the Original Motion Picture and Move It Like This | ||||
| Released | 11 June 2001 | |||
| Genre | Reggae fusion, pop-rap | |||
| Length | 2:58 | |||
| Label | S-Curve | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Rick Carey, Geoffrey Deane, David Jaymes, Marvin Prosper | |||
| Baha Men singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 2001, the song regained popularity after it was covered by the Bahamian Junkanoo group Baha Men and featured in the 2001 DreamWorks' animated fairy tale comedy film Shrek.[9]
It was the Baha Men's sixth single and reached number 49 on the Australian ARIA Charts and number 70 on the Swiss Music Charts. It also appeared on their album Move It Like This.
Critical reception
editThe Baha Men cover received generally positive reviews. According to the Baltimore Afro-American, the song was "shaping up to be a worthy follow-up to Who Let the Dogs Out?,"[10] while Terry vanHorn of MTV.com called it a "playful dance song."[11] Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen, also of MTV.com, referred to the song as upbeat.[12]
Charts
edit| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[13] | 49 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[13] | 66 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] | 70 |
References
edit- ^ Modern Romance, Discography, Best Years of Our Lives, Discogs Website. Accessed 27 April 2011.
- ^ Lee-Williams, Matt: Modern Romance Biography, Internet Movie Database. Accessed 28 April 2011.
- ^ Lee-Williams, Matt: Jaymes, David, Biography, Internet Movie Database. Accessed 28 April 2011.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 205. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ Best Years of Our Lives, 1982, Discogs Website [accessed] 28 April 2011.
- ^ Modern Romance, Discography, Best Years of Our Lives, Discogs Website, [accessed] 27 April 2011.
- ^ Lee-Williams, Matt: Modern Romance Biography, Internet Movie Database [accessed] 28 April 2011.
- ^ Lee-Williams, Matt: Jaymes, David, Biography, Internet Movie Database [accessed] 28 April 2011.
- ^ "Shrek (2001) - Soundtracks". IMDb.com.
- ^ "Baha Men featured on the soundtrack for "Shrek"". Baltimore Afro-American. 4 May 2001. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "MTV.com". Mtv.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012.
- ^ "MTV.com II". Mtv.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012.
- ^ a b c "Best Years of Our Lives", in various singles charts Lescharts.com Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved 10 April 2008)