Most Americans were–and still are–unaware that before 1983’s”Electric Avenue” by Eddy Grant…it was–and still is–a real place with a lot of British history behind it.

In 1888, The Brixton road became the first road in the market area of London to be lit by electric lighting–hence the nickname “Electric Avenue.”

Nearly a century later–1981 to be exact–it was the setting for the Brixton riots as police clashed with gangs protesting against racism and poverty. This not only explains Eddy Grant’s opening line: “Now in the street there is violence..It also explains why Eddy moved from London to Barbados and wrote the song (To be safe).

He also sang it, played every note and programmed all the synthesizers.

For or obvious reasons, the song was an immediate hit in the UK, peaking at #2 on the charts in January of 1983…and although it quickly became a huge international hit..it took awhile to catch on in the US…and when it did, it had MTV to thank!

The minute they started adding black artists to their video playlist, (in the wake of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” album),” they added “Electric Avenue,” and the song jumped to #2 on Billboard’s Hot 100…#6 on the Dance Chart, #12 on The Rock Chart, and #18 on the Black Singles Chart.

Even then, it was apparent that most Americans had no idea what the backstory was…they just liked the song!

And now you know the rest of the story (the abridged version) behind “Electric Avenue:’ Eddy Grant’s Great Song of 1983!

–Mike Cook