"somewhere the sun is shining / on this world, but not for me"

Here’s what we know, PowerPoint style:

Á¢€¢ Singer/guitarist Tim McGovern left the Motels in 1982 to start a new group, this one focused on fusing World rhythms with New Wave and Rock.
Á¢€¢ The new group, dubbed Burning Sensations, released a four-song EP featuring the titular single, the calypso-infused “Belly of the Whale”.
Á¢€¢ The “Belly of the Whale” video got some seriously heavy play on MTV, but the song still failed to chart, despite being totally awesome (pay special note of the Motel’s Martha Davis look-a-like pushing McGovern down the slide just as the line “Got thrown off the boat before the trip was done” is heard – any hidden meaning there, y’think?):

Á¢€¢ A full-length, self-titled LP followed in 1983 (the Best Year For Music Ever!), a half-decent, half-forgettable affair – one of the standout tracks was the racy “Beat Temptation”, which attempted to beat (har) the English Beat at their own game.
Á¢€¢ The following year, the band covered Jonathon Richman’s song “Pablo Picasso” for the Repo Man soundtrack.
Á¢€¢ Then they disappeared, never to be reissued again.

Too bad, because any band that can work the word “bouillabaisse” into a single deserves recognition.

“Belly of the Whale” did not chart.
“Beat Temptation” was not released as a single.