Robbed Hit of the Week 9/24/12 - Chilliwack's "Whatcha Gonna Do"...

Chilliwack - "Whatcha Gonna Do?"
from the album Opus X (1982)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #41 (three weeks)

This week's "robbed hit" is by the Canadian rock band Chilliwack, who evolved from the psychedelic rock act the Collectors at the start of the 1970's. With guitarist Bill Henderson taking over lead vocalist duties, they've been consistent hitmakers in their home country since then. Their first top-10 single there, "Lonesome Mary", became their first minor hit in the US in 1973.

But it took until 1981, when their ultra-catchy pop single "My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)" made the top-40 on both the American pop and rock charts as well as going to #1 in Canada. The followup single, "I Believe", also made the US top 40.

The band released their next album, Opus X, the next year, and the first single, "Whatcha Gonna Do (When I'm Gone)" had the same pop harmony goodness as their last album, and was written and produced by Henderson with Bill Macleod, who won a Juno Award for best producer for the album...

But while the song became their sixth Canadian top-10 pop hit, as well as a top-30 US rock radio single, the song peaked at a frustrating #41 for three weeks. It would also be their last Hot 100 hit in the US.