I Melt With You

Album: After The Snow (1982)
Charted: 76
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Songfacts®:

  • This sounds like an upbeat love song, but it's more apocalyptic than you might expect. With lyrics about "the world crashing all around your face" and "a pilgrimage to save this human's race," it really does take place with the world about to end, and the melting is quite literal. Modern English lead singer Robbie Grey, who wrote the song with his four bandmates, explained: "I don't think many people realized it was about a couple making love as the bomb dropped. As they made love, they become one and melt together."
  • While the song was never a big chart success, it has stood the test of time and is considered a new wave classic. The song gained some traction when MTV gave the video plenty of airplay. It was also featured in the 1983 movie Valley Girl.
  • The line, "Never really knowing it was always mesh and lace" is a reference to Modern English's first album, Mesh & Lace.
  • This was the only hit for Modern English, but it wasn't typical of their sound. They were a punk band, and most of their songs were a lot more raw than this one. "We'd normally been more of a punk rock band, more edgy, so this was one of our first forays into verse, chorus, verse, chorus," Robbie Grey said. "We didn't really understand that songwriting thing."
  • According to Robbie Grey, he wrote the lyrics stream-of-consciousness style in just minutes while he was sitting on the floor of a London flat in 1982. So even he isn't sure what some of it means. Said Grey: "I like that line, 'Trapped in a state of imaginary grace.' Who knows what I was on at that point."
  • Robbie Grey took a different approach to his vocals on this track, which gave it more pop appeal. Speaking with Boom 97.3 in Toronto, he said: "I'd always been shouting on songs before, I'd never really sung on a song. And there's not really any singing on this either, it's more spoken, but Hugh Jones the producer said, 'Don't shout into the microphone, just talk into it.' I'd never done that before - I was a punk rocker. And so, I did. I just kind of stood back and mouthed the words. And I think that's a lot of the attraction of the verses on 'I Melt With You' is that almost spoken quality."
  • There is some famous humming in this song, which takes place after the bridge around the 3-minute mark. This was producer Hugh Jones' idea.
  • The song has been used in numerous television commercials, usually for food. Most famously, it featured in 1990 Burger King ads, but it was also used in commercials for Ritz crackers, M&M's and Taco Bell.
  • The video was made on the cheap but was still better than most of what MTV had available at the time, so it got a fair number of spins. It followed the template of band performance while an alternate storyline plays out, but in this case both were in the same room. "Storyline" might be a stretch, since we simply see a couple dancing and looking into each other's eyes as if some adventure awaits. It helped that Modern English made some intriguing fashion choices, like Robbie Grey's conductor's hat.
  • Bowling For Soup recorded this for the 2005 kids' movie Sky High, with the lyrics, "Making love to you" changed to "Being friends with you." The song was also covered by Jason Mraz for 50 First Dates and by Mest for Not Another Teen Movie. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    BJ Gumby - Wilmington, DE
  • The song charted at #78 US in 1983 after it was first released. When Modern English re-released it in 1989, it did a little better, placing at #76.
  • This was used on Stranger Things in the season 1 episode "The Weirdo On Maple Street" during the pool party scene at Steve's house.

Comments: 18

  • George Pope from BcOblivious to the destruction around them, or so in love they are focused on each other & completing this act of joining/becoming one? Sort of like the cliché of the couple in the cornfield getting run over by a combine while making love.
  • Justin Time from Grand Haven, MiChet from Buffalo, Ny shares: "The actual title of this song is 'I Melt With You'."
    The HECK you say, Chet! How were you able to discover this??
  • Julie Burns from MoThis song reminds me of someone I will always love. Can't think of a better way to end my life than making love to him and melting into each other, literally. We have already figuratively melted into each other!
  • Carolyn from Rochester, NyThis is my husband and my song. He will call me if he hears it on the radio. We have been together 31 years.
  • Habner from FlyovercountryTrue: we had this song in our wedding. What a lovely thought... I want to be with you when our world melts.
  • Kenny from Princeton, NjCould never understand why this wasn't a MUCH bigger hit.
  • Camille from Toronto, OhYum. This is a delicious song. Very sensual.
  • Adam from York, PaAt the time of the burger king commercials, there was a conflict of interest, because one of the members of the band, I think it was the lead drummer, was a vegan. But then they got the money and quickly forgot about the conflict. Oh and I think it was vh1, some channel anyway, put this in the top 100 one-hit-wonders of the eighties, along with Our house by madness, that one song by don johnson, dear god by xtc, and several other 80s songs that REFUSE TO DIE.
  • Larry from Wayne, PaThis song was played at pretty much every party when I was in college. Along with "Rock This Town" by Stray Cats, "Dancing With Myself" by Billy Idol, and "What I Like About You" by The Romantics.
  • Erika from West Band, WiLove it! :)
  • Carrie from Roanoke, VaGreat song. A cover fo it was also featured in a recent Hershey's commercial.
  • Mike from Matawan, NjCan't help but like this song. I'll own that....it's a guilty pleasure.
  • Robert from Zanesville, Ohloved it down to the last hum!
  • Michaela from Usa, NyThis song is so sweet and smooth, love it! -_-
  • John from Kirkland, WaI head mentioned (I think it was in the Special Edition interviews of Valley Girl) that this song was about a couple at the moment of a nuke bomb being set off.
  • Michael from San Diego, Ca"Moving forward, using all my breath, making love to you was never second best!"

    Sweet love song in it's own way, and an early 80's classic!
  • Skyttles from Poolpartytopia, Czech RepublicI LOVE THIS SONG!!! My dad would sing it to me when i was younger...brings tears to my eyes sometimes
  • Chet from Buffalo, NyThe actual title of this song is "I Melt With You"
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