"Homely Girl"
Single by the Chi-Lites
from the album Chi-Lites
Released1973
GenreSoul
Length3:35
LabelBrunswick
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Eugene Record
The Chi-Lites singles chronology
"I Found Sunshine"
(1973) 		"Homely Girl"
(1973) 		"There Will Never Be Peace"
(1974)

"Homely Girl" is a song by American vocal group the Chi-Lites. Release in 1973, it reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, number three on the US Hot Soul Singles chart, and number 54 on the US Billboard Hot 100. A cover by UB40 also became a hit between 1989 and 1991 in several countries.

Charts

Chart (1973) Peak
position
Canada (RPM)[1] 98
UK Singles (OCC)[2] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 54
US Best Selling Soul Singles (Billboard)[4] 3

UB40 version

"Homely Girl"
Single by UB40
from the album Labour of Love II
B-side"Gator" (instrumental)
ReleasedNovember 6, 1989 (1989-11-06)[5]
Length3:22
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
  • Eugene Record
  • Stan McKenny
Producer(s)UB40
UB40 singles chronology
"I Would Do for You"
(1989) 		"Homely Girl"
(1989) 		"Kingston Town"
(1989)

A cover version by UB40, from their ninth studio album, Labour of Love II (1989), was released as a single on November 6, 1989, in the United Kingdom. This cover reached the top 10 in the UK, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. In France, the song was used in a television advertisement for the Lee Cooper jeans.[6] David Giles of Music Week deemed "Homely Girl" as "UB40's best for a while", adding: "It's a mark of a truly great band to be able to perform a cover version so convincingly that you end up thinking they've written it themselves".[7]

Track listings

7-inch single

  1. "Homely Girl" – 3:22
  2. "Gator" (instrumental) – 4:01

12-inch single

  1. "Homely Girl" (extended mix) – 7:29
  2. "Gator" (instrumental) – 4:01
  3. "Homely Girl" – 3:22

CD single

  1. "Homely Girl" – 3:22
  2. "Gator" (instrumental) – 4:01
  3. "Homely Girl" (extended mix) – 7:29

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[23] Silver 125,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Silver 200,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

In 1974, Jackie Robinson, lead singer of The Pioneers, released a cover version in the UK on Trojan Records' subsidiary label Harry J (catalogue number HJ6674).[25] It was this reggae version that inspired UB40, whose "Labour of Love" albums are cover versions of reggae tracks of the 1960s and 1970s.

References

  1. ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - June 4, 1974" (PDF).
  2. ^ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 164.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 117.
  5. ^ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. November 4, 1989. p. 45. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  6. ^ King, Alex P. (2004). Hit-parade — 20 ans de tubes (in French). Paris: Pascal. p. 347. ISBN 2-35019-009-9.
  7. ^ Giles, David (November 18, 1989). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 43 in the PDF. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 288.
  9. ^ "UB40 – Homely Girl" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  10. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 50. December 16, 1989. p. V. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  11. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "UB40". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 268. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "UB40 – Homely Girl" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Homely Girl". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 1, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  15. ^ "UB40 – Homely Girl" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  16. ^ "UB40 – Homely Girl". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  17. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  18. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1989" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  19. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1989" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  20. ^ "Year End Singles". Record Mirror. January 27, 1990. p. 44.
  21. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1990" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  22. ^ "Single top 100 over 1990" (PDF) (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
  23. ^ "French single certifications – UB 40 – Homely Girl" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved July 13, 2020. Select UB 40 and click OK. 
  24. ^ "British single certifications – UB40 – Homely Girl". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  25. ^ "Jackie Robinson (2) – Homely Girl". Discogs. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
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