Cool Places

1983 single by Sparks and Jane Wiedlin

"Cool Places"

Single by Sparks and Jane Wiedlin
from the album  In Outer Space
B-side| "Sports"
Released| April 1983
Studio| Synsound Studios (Brussels)
Genre|

* New wave
* synth-pop

Length| 3:25
Label| Atlantic
Songwriter(s)|

* Ron Mael
* Russell Mael

Producer(s)|

* Ron Mael
* Russell Mael

Sparks singles chronology
| "I Predict"
(1982)  | "Cool Places"
(1983)  | "All You Ever Think About Is Sex"
(1983)

|
|

Jane Wiedlin singles chronology
|  | "Cool Places"
(1983)  | "Blue Kiss"
(1985)

|
|

"Cool Places" is a 1983 new wave song recorded by American pop duo Sparks in collaboration with the Go-Go's rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Jane Wiedlin.[1] It was their second single to enter the Billboard Hot 100.[2]

## Background

[edit]

The song was released as the lead single from Sparks's twelfth studio album In Outer Space (1983). At the time, Sparks were at their most popular in the US, their two previous studio albums having dented the lower reaches of the Billboard 200 album chart. The single peaked at No. 13 on the Hot Dance Club Play charts in June 1983.[3] The song's success followed the success of their previous single and only other Hot 100 entry "I Predict".

A music video for the song was directed by California born screenwriter and film director Graeme Whifler.

Sparks recorded "Lucky Me, Lucky You" with Jane Wiedlin for the same parent album.[4]

## Track listing

[edit]

7" Atlantic 0-89863

1. "Cool Places" — 3:25
2. "Sports" — 3:23

12" Atlantic 0-89863[5]

1. "Cool Places" (Long Mix) — 4:38
2. "Sports" — 3:23

## Chart performance

[edit]

Chart (1983)  | Peak
position

|

US Billboard Hot 100[2] | 49
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[2] | 13
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[6] | 44

## Other versions

[edit]

The song was part of the Go-Go's set when they toured in the 2010s, with Belinda Carlisle singing the Russell Mael vocals opposite Wiedlin.[7]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Wednesday lost and found: Jane Wiedlin and Sparks 'Cool Places' Tampa Bay Times
2. ^ a b c "Sparks Hot 100". billboard.com. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
3. ^ Sparks|Billboard
4. ^ Lucky Me, Lucky You on SPARKS' official YouTube channel
5. ^ "Sparks And Jane Wiedlin - Cool Places (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-05-10.
6. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending June 11, 1983" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
7. ^ "Cool Places performed live by the Go-Go's". YouTube.

## External links

[edit]

* Official music video
* Official audio only video on Wiedlin's YouTube channel
* "Cool Places" at Discogs (list of releases)

* v
* t
* e

Sparks

* Ron Mael
* Russell Mael

* Jim Mankey
* Earle Mankey
* Martin Gordon
* Adrian Fisher
* Norman "Dinky" Diamond

* Leslie Bohem
* David Kendrick
* Tammy Glover
* Dean Menta

Albums|

* Halfnelson/Sparks
* A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing
* Kimono My House
* Propaganda
* Indiscreet
* Big Beat
* Introducing Sparks
* Nº 1 in Heaven
* Terminal Jive
* Whomp That Sucker
* Angst in My Pants
* In Outer Space
* Pulling Rabbits Out of a Hat
* Music That You Can Dance To
* Interior Design
* Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins
* Plagiarism
* Balls
* Lil' Beethoven
* Hello Young Lovers
* Exotic Creatures of the Deep
* The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman
* Two Hands, One Mouth: Live in Europe
* Hippopotamus
* A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip
* The Girl Is Crying in Her Latte
* Mad!

Singles|

* "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us"
* "Amateur Hour"
* "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth"
* "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
* "The Number One Song in Heaven"
* "Beat the Clock"
* "When I'm with You"
* "I Predict"
* "Cool Places"
* "With All My Might"
* "When Do I Get to Sing 'My Way'"
* "When I Kiss You (I Hear Charlie Parker Playing)"
* "Now That I Own the BBC"
* "Dick Around"

Films|

* The Sparks Brothers
* Annette
* soundtracks

Related|

* Gleaming Spires
* Les Rita Mitsouko
* Noël
* Is There More to Life Than Dancing?
* FFS
* self-titled album
* Sparks Spectacular
* Telex
* Sex

Discography

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work
* MusicBrainz release group

|

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