Choirboys - Run to Paradise

The Choirboys (not to be confused with the London Quireboys) came out of the vibrant Sydney pub rock scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s.  In 1983, their self-titled first album rose to #26 on the Australian charts, and the band seemed poised to breakout.  Unfortunately, lead singer Mark Gable ruptured his vocal chords while performing, and the band were unable to perform or record for several years.

After several personnel changes (and on a new label), the band finally recorded their follow-up album, Big Bad Noise in 1987.  The album was a massive success in Australia -- "Run to Paradise" topped out at #3, and became the 11th highest selling single of the eighties.  Big Bad Noise peaked at #5 and went double platinum.

Their local success helped them gain some traction in the U.S., where "Run to Paradise" hit #80 on the Billboard charts.  However, their next few albums did not do as well, leaving "Run to Paradise" as their only charting song in the U.S.

Although they did not see huge success in the U.S., the band did carve out a successful career in Australia, with 6 top 40 hits, although none approached the success of "Run to Paradise" and Big Bad Boom.

Cool trivia fact: A remixed version of "Run to Paradise" (by Nick Skitz) hit #16 in 2004 and went platinum in Australia.