T'Pau - Heart and Soul

Although they were stars in the U.K. (where they had 8 top 40 hits), T'Pau were a classic one hit wonder in the U.S., with only "Heart and Soul" breaking the top 40.  The band was formed in Shropshire, U.K. in 1986 and were led by singer Carol Decker.  The group was originally called Talking America but changed their name to T'Pau (a Star Trek character) almost randomly.  It seems that an old episode of the TV show was on in the background while they were debating names, and the word T'Pau stuck in their heads.

T'Pau's demo tapes soon scored them a recording contract with Virgin Records, and the band's debut LP, Bridge of Spies was released in 1987.  Interestingly, the initial release of "Heart and Soul" did not go well.  And then ... it was used in a Pepe Jeans commercial in the U.S. and U.K. and absolutely took off, reaching #4 on both sides of the Atlantic.

While they did not chart again in the U.S., our British readers may remember "China in Your Hand," a #1 song from later in 1987.

The band broke up in 1991, then re-formed in 1998 and continue to perform as of this writing.