Chilliwack? Chillicool!!

Occasionally in my travels back into the realm of retro rarities I uncover a song that I may not have heard when first it was released, but I know that if I had it would have been an instant #1 on my personal hit parade. The song 'My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)' by Canadian power pop quintet Chilliwack is one such gem.

The song, though released in Australia, barely made an impact on the airwaves or charts (languishing sadly at #57 in early 1982). But it was a bigger hit in North America, surging into the top 5 in Canada and reaching #22 on the U.S. Billboard chart in late '81.

Chilliwack (named after a Canadian city) had actually been around since 1969 (formed from the remnants of another band called The Collectors) and experienced a relatively stable lineup throughout their 15 year recording career. They experienced their strongest run of commercial appeal in the early 80s, tapping into the popular power-guitar sound of the time utilised by other acts such as Foreigner, Journey and Loverboy.

I discovered the song 'My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)' on a CD release from the compilation series 'Pure Canadian - Retro 80s'. (some more treasures from that series to feature in future posts)

And you can view the promo clip here: