Four decades ago, the British new wave band the Fixx were having their moment in the sun. Hooky, slick and multi-textured hits such as , , , and turned the group into radio and MTV darlings. By the degree that success in the music industry is measured (platinum sales for 1983’s and gold for its 1984 follow-up, ), it appeared as if the Fixx had it all nailed down.
By the end of the ’80s, however, things began to trend downward; the band’s last charting single of any significance was , in 1989. But that doesn’t mean the Fixx’s music went away; in fact, over the past two decades it’s reached new – and perhaps larger – audiences than ever before, via TV ads. Toyota and Fidelity Investments have run spots utilizing , and the human-resources company ADP seized on the funky dance rhythms of to tout the synergistic effects of their data-driven insights.
“It’s a very funny thing, the way those ads hit people,” says Jamie West-Oram, the band’s longtime guitarist. “One of the bigger ones was when was used by the car company to promote its zero-financing deal, which certainly wasn’t what we had in mind when we wrote it. Some hardcore Fixx fans were like, ‘How could you let them do that?’ But it’s just music, you know? Let’s not get too upset about it.
” He chuckles, then adds, “Whenever I hear one of our songs on TV or the radio or wherever, I feel somewhat amazed. The fact that we’re getting recognition after so many years is a nice feeling.” I.