‘Wild Wild West’ by the Escape Club – Classic Hit or Miss

"Wild, Wild West" is a song by The Escape Club from their similarly named debut album, Wild Wild West. The single hit the charts in late 1988 eventually reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week by 1989, making The Escape Club the only British artist to have a No. 1 hit in America while never charting in the UK. The lyrics, with phrases such as "I love her eyes and her wild, wild hair," "heading for the '90s, living in the wild, wild west," are augmented with gunshot sound effects, and a section of phrases are performed in Spanish. Critics at the time noted that portions of the song bore a strong similarity to Elvis Costello's "Pump It Up" due to the distinct drum beat and vocal patterns during the verses. The music video is noted for using mirror imaging of actors to give the illusion of disembodied arms and legs.