Wild, Wild West – The Escape Club | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1); 1988
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
The classic image of an American frontier standoff – two gunfighters poised to draw their guns – isn’t what Britain’s The Escape Club envisioned when writing Wild, Wild West.
Rather it was their comment on modern life in a world that saw Margaret Thatcher of England and Ronald Reagan of the U.S. wielding their power just like in vintage cowboy movies. By the time TEC recorded West, they had been around for five years, had released a failed album, and were under orders from EMI to produce a hit.
The band was excited about West‘s sales potential. EMI was not. However, the ears at Atlantic Records in the U.S. agreed with The Escape Club. They signed the band and released the album. MTV jumped on the video, and radio airplay and dance club spins followed. In the end Wild, Wild West toppled the American West’s Beach Boys from the #1 position.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Chris Kimsey
Lyrics Written by:
- The Escape Club
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).