Modern English’s “I Melt with You” has been streamed more than 100 million times on Spotify and Apple Music — since 2015. Thousands of couples have been married to the new wave hit.
There’s a rather unexpected person among that group.
“I got married last October, and I actually had the band play ‘I Melt with You’ at my wedding,” Modern English’s bassist/vocalist Mick Conroy says with a sly laugh. They were married in Upstate New York.
Fans can expect Modern English to perform “I Melt with You” Friday, May 26, at Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler.
Arizona has become a sort of second home for Modern English. The English band rehearses in the Tucson studio of the Old Pueblo act Xixa.
“Our friends in Xixa have a studio in Tucson,” Conroy says.
“Quite often before the tour starts, or for demos, we’ll head to Tucson, stay at the Hotel McCoy, eat great food and rehearse. We have good fun in Phoenix, too, though.”
“I Melt with You” was the second single from Modern English’s 1982 album “After the Snow.” It became the band’s most successful single, largely in the United States, where it was featured in the film “Valley Girl.” It reached No. 7 on Billboard’s mainstream rock chart in 1983 and a rerelease reached No. 76 on its Hot 100 chart in 1990.
“I Melt with You” has been used in ad campaigns for Hershey’s, Burger King, Ritz Crackers and Sargento Cheese and television shows like “The Goldbergs,” “A Million Little Things” and “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist.”
This tour’s shows will feature a retrospective of hits and deep cuts, as well as new tracks that Modern English has yet to debut.
“Last year, we did three tours celebrating the 40th anniversary of ‘After the Snow,’” he explains. “After that year, which was all in good fun, we recorded a new LP in Upstate New York. So, they’ll hear Modern English back catalog and then two or three new songs from the next album that we’re hoping to release in the fall.”
The record marks Modern English’s return to its “punk rock origins,” he says.
“We formed in 1977, having seen the Sex Pistols and the Clash and Siouxsie and the Banshees. We formed a punk rock band. It’s definitely more of a short shock bunch of songs.”
The collection has been produced by Phoenix-born Mario J. McNulty, whose credits include David Bowie and Lou Reed.
“I was really interested in him because of the David Bowie connections,” he says.
Still, Conroy says he’s surprised “I Melt with You” has had the legs it has.
“Having said that, some of my favorite songs are, God help us, 50 years old,” he says. “‘Aladdin Sane’ is now 50 years old, which makes me feel very old.
“That was the first record I ever had. I got it when I was 10. There are so many amazing songs and albums out there. At the same time, there are new bands who are doing really interesting stuff. ‘I Melt with You’ struck a chord with so many people. Then, as they got older, songs like that are such a part of their memory. At the same time, it seems to appeal to younger people as well. God bless them. It’s impossible to put a good song down.”
Modern English w/Gentlemen AfterDark
WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday, May 26
WHERE: Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino, 5040 Wild Horse Pass Boulevard, Chandler
COST: Tickets start at $20
INFO: playatgila.com
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