It's a Fine Day
| "It's a Fine Day" | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Single by Jane | |
| A-side | It's a Fine Day |
| B-side | Of All Leaves Were Falling |
| Released | 1983 |
| Format | 7-inch single |
| Label | Cherry Red Records |
| Writer(s) | Edward Barton |
| "It's a Fine Day" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Opus III | ||||
| from the album Mind Fruit | ||||
| B-side | Evolution Rush | |||
| Released | February 1992 | |||
| Format |
CD single 7", 12" |
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| Genre |
Dance House |
|||
| Length | 3:36 | |||
| Label | PWL International | |||
| Writer(s) | Edward Barton | |||
| Opus III singles chronology | ||||
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"It's a Fine Day" is a song written by English poet and musician Edward Barton. It was originally recorded a cappella in 1983 by Jane, and later by Opus III for whom it was a major international hit in 1992.
Barton wrote the lyrics as a poem when living in the Hulme area of Manchester. It was originally sung unaccompanied by, and credited to, Jane – that is, Jane Lancaster, Barton's girlfriend. 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. It reached number 5 on the UK Indie Chart, and later appeared, credited to Jane and Barton, on their eponymous mini-album Jane and Barton. This version of the song appeared on the 2013 indie-pop compilation album Scared to Get Happy: A Story of Indie-Pop 1980-1989.
Jane's unaccompanied vocal version of the song was given a backing track by A Guy Called Gerald in 1992.
Also in 1992, the song was covered by Opus III, whose lead vocalist was Kirsty Hawkshaw. The two chief differences from Jane's original were that this version was not recorded a cappella but with a full instrumental accompaniment, and that it used only the first verse and chorus of the original song's lyrics. This version reached number 5 in the UK charts, and number 1 on the US Hot Dance Club Play Chart. The song's video featured Hawkshaw (with her standout shaved head and bodysuit) performing and dancing against a backdrop of what is supposed to be a fine day.
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.
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