Week Twenty-Eight: New Romantic - Altered Images - "I Could Be Happy" - Reflected Images: The Best of Altered Images

From Wikipedia: New Romanticism (also called blitz kids and a variety of other names) was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and New Wave music.

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Clare Grogan and the members of the band, Altered Images, have been a part of my birthday tradition for about 20 years now.  Around the age of 15 and every year after, on my birthday, I began playing "Unhappy Birthday" by The Smiths, followed by "Happy Birthday" by Altered Images (both included below the lyrics). I'm not even sure why or how I started that tradition, but since I just made my 35th solar revolution - (it sounds so much more pleasant than saying that I'm 35-years-old) - on October 27th, that would have marked the 20th anniversary of this tradition.  

However, since I only listen to that song about once a year, I have selected "I Could Be Happy" for my New Romantic week tune.  The DJ at the Art Bar in the Club Clearview complex would actually play this one for me quite frequently on their 80s night.  This is such a feel-good song, and the video is equally entertaining.

An interesting fact that I recently learned about this band is that Steve Severin of Siouxsie & the Banshees produced their first album - pretty cool!

**The official video is blocked in the US; so I will have to offer you a different clip**

"I would like to climb high in a tree
I could be happy, I could be happy
or go to Skye on my holiday
I could be happy, I could be happy
maybe swim a mile down the Nile 
I could be happy, I could be happy 
All of these things I do 
All of these things I do 
to get away from you 
Get away, run away, far away, how do I? 
Get away, run away, far away, how do I escape from you?"