Songoftheday 5/5/13 - Last night I had the strangest dream, I sailed away to China in a little row boat to find ya...

Matthew Wilder - "Break My Stride"
from the album I Don't Speak The Language (1983)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #5 (three weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 14

Today's Song of the Day is by singer/songwriter/producer Matthew Wilder, who started out in folk music, as well as backup vocal work for people like Bette Midler. After switching styles to synthpop, Matthew released his debut album in 1983, and the bouncy first single, "Break My Stride", became a left-field hit at the start of 1984. Written by the singer with musician Greg Prestopino, and produced by Rick Chudacoff and Peter Bunetta of the group Crackin'....

"Break My Stride" was a big crossover success, reaching the top-5 on both the US pop and adult contemporary chart, as well as a top-20 hit on the dance chart and even scraping the lower ranks of the R&B chart. It also went to #4 in the UK and topped the pop chart in Norway.

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...and of course what's an early 80s post without some Solid Gold?

Fast forward a dozen years, and Austrian dance act Unique II topped the chart in their homeland and New Zealand and #2 in Australia....

In 1997, Puff Daddy interpolated the record for the chorus of his #1 hit "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"...

Another dance act, Germans Blue Lagoon, also had a worldwide hit with a version of the song in 2004. It went top-5 in Germany, Austria, and Belgium...

Lastly, Orthodox-Jewish rapper Matisyahu used the chorus of "Break My Stride" on the bridge of his single "Jerusalem" which went top-20 in Portugal...

Up tomorrow: Steinman shows the 70s soft-rock king the bad news for a hit.