I Melt with You

Background

Modern English formed in 1979 in Colchester, Essex, England, and signed with 4AD in 1980. These conditions and his fears of nuclear war inspired "I Melt with You", which depicts a couple making love while an atomic bomb is dropped. Grey called it a love song about the good and bad in people, not a simple boy-meets-girl story. The music came together in the band's London rehearsal space during sessions for After the Snow. Producer Hugh Jones encouraged Grey to sing softly rather than shout, a technique he used on the rest of the album.

Commercial performance

Released in the UK in August 1982 on the 4AD label, the single missed the national chart but became the band’s fifth entry on the UK Independent Singles Chart, where it reached number 18. Its real breakthrough came in the United States after a slow build. Initially played on radio as an import, it spread from station to station. By April 1983, it had climbed to number 7 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It also found a strong audience in dance clubs and on MTV, peaking at number 60 on the Billboard Dance/Disco Top 80 in March 1983. The song’s appearance in the 1983 film Valley Girl, during the closing credits and a romantic montage, helped fuel its popularity. Modern English re-recorded the track for their 1990 album Pillow Lips; that version re-entered the Hot 100 at number 76 in July and the Dance chart at number 25 in August. The band’s original lineup later re-recorded it again in 2010, giving it a completely new arrangement for the film I Melt with You.

The song ranks among the 500 most-played tracks on US radio. In 2017, the group received a lifetime achievement award from BMI after the song reached 3 million plays. VH1 placed it at number 39 on its list of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 80s and at number 7 on its 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s. Although it never cracked the Hot 100’s top 40 in either of its runs, it remains Modern English’s only major hit, earning them a reputation as one-hit wonders.

Reception

A Billboard reviewer called the song "classy" and a "dreamy, acoustic-edged rocker." The 1990 re-recording was received negatively by the Los Angeles Times' Chris Willman, who called it "nearly identical yet markedly inferior." Tom Demalon of AllMusic described it as "one of the most enduring songs of the new wave era." In 1997, Los Angeles Times contributor Sara Scriber wrote that it endured for its "gothic, escapist undercurrent and danceable rhythm." In 2017, Chrissie Dickinson of the Chicago Tribune noted its "irresistible guitar melody, danceable beat and heartfelt call and response vocals."