The Plimsouls – A Million Miles Away —Powerpop Friday

A Million Miles Away peaked at #82 on the Billboard 100 in 1983. This was their only top 40 hit. The song was written by Peter Case, Joey Alkes and Chris Fradkin. A friend of mine had their first two albums and they were full of very good power pop songs. The song was also featured in the 80s teen movie Valley Girl.

A review I found of the band… “The band’s best songs didn’t just sound like potential hit singles; they sounded like anthems in soaring tunes such as “A Million Miles Away.”

From AllMusic by Denise Sullivan

Formed in Los Angeles in 1978, the Plimsouls merged roots, retro and guitar rock with a ramshackle punk aesthetic. At a time when rock music was shifting gears, the Plimsouls’ brand of soul-punk — a modern take on ’60s soul, British Invasion and garage rock sounds — fit right in with the ’80s post-punk American guitar band movement. Known for their kinetic live performances, the Plimsouls had an exceptional frontman in singer/songwriter Peter Case whose decision to pursue a solo career effectively ended their ’80s run, but whose songs have kept the group’s slight catalog and legacy in the public eye.

A Million Miles Away

Friday night I’d just got back
I had my eyes shut
Was dreaming about the past
I thought about you while the radio played
I should have got moving
For some reason I stayed

I started drifting to a different place
I realized I was falling off the face of your world
And there was nothing left to bring me back

I’m a million miles away
A million miles away
A million miles away
And there’s nothing left to bring me back today

I took a ride, I went downtown
Streets were empty
There was no one around
All the faces that we used to know
Gone from the places that we used to go

I’m at the wrong end of the looking glass
Trying to hold on to the hands of the past and you
And there’s nothing left to bring me back

I’m a million miles away
A million miles away
A million miles away
And there’s nothing left to bring me back today