"It's a Fine Day" is a song written by English poet and musician Edward Barton. It was originally recorded in 1983 by Jane, and later by Opus III for whom it was a major international hit in 1992.
Contents |
| "It's a Fine Day" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Jane | |
| Released | 1983 |
| Length | 2:44 |
| Label | Cherry Red Records |
| Writer(s) | Edward Barton |
Barton wrote the lyrics as a poem when living in the Hulme area of Manchester.[1] It was originally sung unaccompanied by, and credited to, Jane - that is, Jane Lancaster, Barton's girlfriend.[2][3] They recorded and released it independently, and it was played by radio DJ John Peel. It was then heard by Iain McNay of Cherry Red Records, who obtained the rights to the record and released it more widely on his label in 1983.[4] It reached # 5 on the UK Indie Chart, and later appeared, credited to Jane and Barton, on their eponymous mini-album Jane and Barton.
Jane's version of the song was remixed by A Guy Called Gerald in 1992.
| "It's a Fine Day" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Opus III | |
| from the album Mind Fruit | |
| Released | 1992 |
| Format | CD single 7", 12" |
| Genre | Dance |
| Length | 5:29 |
| Writer(s) | Edward Barton |
Also in 1992, the song was covered by Opus III, with vocals by Kirsty Hawkshaw. This version used only the first verse and chorus of the song. This version reached # 5 in the UK charts, and # 1 in the US Hot Dance Club Play Chart.
| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[5] | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks[5] | 30 |
| Austrian Singles Chart[6] | 14 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart[6] | 14 |
| German Singles Chart[7] | 18 |
| Irish Singles Chart[8] | 6 |
| Swedish Singles Chart[6] | 22 |
| Swiss Singles Chart[6] | 24 |
| UK Singles Chart[9] | 5 |
| Preceded by "Strobelite Honey" by Black Sheep |
Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single August 29, 1992 |
Succeeded by "Rhythm Is a Dancer" by Snap! |
The song was also the basis of Orbital's 1993 track, "Halcyon + On + On", on their second eponymous album - the "la la la" section of the chorus was backmasked and sampled throughout the song.
A further version was released in 1998, credited to Miss Jane. This was produced by Italian producers David Carlotti and Carmine Sorrentino. The remake does feature vocals from the original Jane version. Luise Gard provided the on-stage image for the touring version of Miss Jane, but did not contribute to the recordings.[10] Various remixes of this version were issued, including one by ATB.
Other versions have been recorded by Dallas Superstars and the Barcode Brothers. Norwegian artist Erlend Øye also covered the song on his album that was part of the DJ-Kicks series.
Opus III vocalist Kirsty Hawkshaw has remade the song in both 2002 with Mike Koglin and in 2008 with Kinky Roland.
The American Electropop/Hip-Hop act Far East Movement used the song's background as the basis for their single "I Party" from their 2009 album "Animal."