Kitty/Mickey

The Chinn/Chapman song “Kitty” first appeared on the LP “Smash and grab” by the UK band Racey in 1979 (remember their hit “Lay your love on me”). They never released it as a single. The gorgeous Toni Basil did release it as a single in May 1981 reworked as “Mickey”. It didn’t make the charts. The record company persevered and the single was re-released in January 1982. This time it became a massive hit, no doubt helped by the “cheerleader” video shown a few times on TOTP. Finally issued in North America in August 1982, “Mickey” became a number 1 hit in the US and Canada in late 1982, a year and a half after its original release.

My two personal Toni Basil favourites are the follow-up to Mickey (which was far better yet barely bothered the charts) and this B side of a 1966 single.