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Celebrate Groundhog Day With A Tune From UB40

Song of the day
2/2/2012
1:00 pm

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Filed Under: UB40, (I Can't Help) Falling in Love with You, 1978, 1980's, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1990's, 1993, 30-year career, 70 million sold, across the Atlantic, act, Albums, Baggariddim, band, Bill Murray, Billboard 200, Billboard Hot 100, Birmingham, charts, Chrissie Hynde, classic, commercially successful, concert, cover songs, currently, debut single, England, Europe, first break, Food for Thought, formation, Groundhog Day, Guns in the Ghetto, Here I Am (Come and Take Me), hits, home country, I Got You Babe, instant, Jack FM, Jack's Song of the Day, Labour of Love, Labour of Love II, Labour of Love IV, Live Performance, most recent, movie, Music, number one, on tour, opening act, pop, popular, Promises and Lies, Punxsutawney Phil, Re-release, Red Red Wine, Reggae, releases, Remake, same name, scored, shadow, Singles, songs, Sonny and Cher, stars, success, The Pretenders, The Way You Do the Things You Do, top 10, Top 40, UK Singles Chart, United States, version, Video, working hard, worldwide

UB40 Videos

Red Red Wine
UB40
VEVO

(Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

In honor of Groundhog Day (and the 1993 Bill Murray movie of the same name), Jack FM is making UB40‘s version of “I Got You Babe” our Song of the Day!

We once saw our shadow.

It scared the you-know-what out of us.

With over 70 million albums sold worldwide, they are one of the most commercially successful reggae acts in music.

Formed in 1978 in Birmingham, England, UB40′s first break came when they opened for the Pretenders at the suggestion of singer Chrissie Hynde, who had seen them in concert. Shortly thereafter, the band released their debut single, “Food for Thought.” It was an instant hit on the U.K. Singles chart, peaking at No. 4 and making them stars in their home country.

In 1983, UB40′s success spread across the Atlantic with the release of Labour of Love. An album of cover songs, Labour of Love reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and produced the Top 40 single “Red Red Wine” (the song would eventually go to No. 1 upon its re-release in ’88).

Baggariddim followed two years later and featured a remake of the Sonny and Cher classic “I Got You Babe” with Chrissie Hynde. The single was a No. 1 hit in the U.K., and it peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Since then, UB40 have released such albums as Labour of Love II, Promises and Lies, Guns in the Ghetto and their most recent, Labour of Love IV. They have also scored a handful of Top 10 hits with the singles “Here I Am (Come and Take Me),” “The Way You Do the Things You Do” and “(I Can’t Help) Falling in Love with You.”

UB40 are currently on tour in Europe.

Check out UB40 performing “Red Red Wine.” Jack FM reckons Punxsutawney Phil will be having a glass or two after working so hard today.