"Modern Girl" is the debut single by Scottish pop singer Sheena Easton

Sheena Easton

Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...

. The song was originally released in February 1980. It made a lowly #56 in the charts before being re-released to top ten success in August of the same year. It also became a top 20 hit in the US.

Background

Exposure on the BBC television

BBC Television

BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...

 production The Big Time

The Big Time (TV series)

The Big Time was a British documentary and reality television series made by the BBC, which ran from 1976 to 1980.Devised and produced by Esther Rantzen and narrated initially by Rantzen but later by John Pitman, each programme followed a member of the public placed in the limelight as a result of...

not only resulted in a record deal with EMI

EMI

The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

, but also pushed Easton's 1980 debut singles, "Modern Girl" and " 9 to 5

9 to 5 (Sheena Easton song)

"9 to 5" is the title of a popular song written by British songwriter Florrie Palmer and recorded by Sheena Easton in 1980, becoming her biggest hit...

," into the UK top ten, making her the first female artist to appear twice in the same top ten. Her debut LP followed in 1981, while "9 to 5" was reissued in America under the title "Morning Train" to avoid confusion with Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton

Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...

's recent hit of the same name; regardless, the single topped the U.S. pop charts, with "Modern Girl" cracking the Top 20 a month later.

In 1997 Easton re-recorded this song for her album Freedom

Freedom (Sheena Easton album)

Freedom is the 13th studio album by singer-songwriter Sheena Easton released only in Japan and charting at #53.This album of new material consists of smooth, catchy Dance-Pop songs. Easton had producing credits on the project and writing credits on the songs "One Man" and "Love will make you wise"...

for the Japanese market and released it as the first single.

Charts

Chart (1980/1981)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	18
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	13
UK Singles Chart	8
Ireland Singles Chart	10
Canada Singles Chart	22
Japan Oricon Singles Chart	18