There are artists who hit #1 and enjoy a long and prosperous career of chart hits, sold out concerts, and endless adulation while others hit #1 and are never heard from again.
In most cases, it wasn't because the artists stopped making music, but because no amount of promotion could change the mind of radio and MTV programmers who've suddenly turned a blind ear to anything else an artist releases after a monster debut single.
Such was the case of British pop act M, led by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Robin Scott, who, in 1979, tasted the rare air of an American #1 pop hit. Released in March '79, the song became an immediate hit in the clubs, but wouldn't top the charts until November.
Usually, that kind of slow, methodical chart trajectory indicates an organic grass roots success story primed for repeated success and subsequent hits from someone now poised for a long and successful career.
As America was still in the clutches of Disco Mania, a song like "Pop Muzik" was tailor-made for crossover action, both on the R&B and the pop side. The tune's light-hearted self-parody and Robin Scott's detached vocal performance gave the song's keen mix of sophisticated UK synth pop and European disco just enough of a quirky persona to appeal to housewives and new wave kids alike.
5 Fun Facts About M's Robin Scott and "Pop Muzik"!
1. Scott was part owner of the indie label Do It Records, which released Adam & The Ant's first album, Dirk Wears White Sox, which came out a month before "Pop Muzik" hit #1 in the States.
2. The third M record, Famous Last Words (1982), featured musical contributions from Thomas Dolby, and Magazine's Barry Adamson.
3. Robin Scott would collaborate with Ryuichi Sakamoto on the 1990 album The Arrangement.
4. "Pop Muzik" was remixed and re-issued in 1989, reaching #15 on the UK singles chart.
5. In 1997, U2 would commission a remix of "Pop Muzik" to be used during the intro to their Pop Mart world tour.
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