Homely Girl

This version of “Homely Girl” that UB40 recorded in 1989 has an interesting twist: it didn’t come from their own creativity, but from a song from the ’70s that caught their attention because of its sound. The original was recorded by the Chi-Lites in 1973, but it was a reggae version by Jackie Robinson featuring the Pioneers that caught the band’s attention. The English group, known for their covers of reggae classics, found in that laid-back rhythm and catchy melody the perfect material for their style. What began as a tribute ended up sounding so natural in their voices that many fans believed it was an original song of their own.

The song came their way after they’d already been exploring that repertoire for years: in 1983, they’d shot to fame with their cover of “Red Red Wine,” and in 1989, they decided to continue down that path with *Labour of Love II*. The song was released as a single on November 6 of that year in the United Kingdom and quickly climbed the charts: it entered the top 10 on charts such as the UK Singles Chart, the French chart, and the New Zealand chart. In France, it was even featured in a Lee Cooper jeans commercial, which helped it get more airplay on the radio. For music publications like *Music Week*, it was one of their best works in years: critic David Giles highlighted it as proof that they could make a cover song sound like their own, to the point that it seemed as though it had been written for them. It lasted just over three minutes, but in that time it achieved what few songs do: it stuck in your head without needing to be original.