Song Of The Day 3/13/2013: The Equals - "Diversion"

I stumbled onto this track after watching yesterday's SOTD. "Diversion" was one of YouTube's suggestions for my next viewing experience. It's perhaps the most perfect algorithmic result in my cyber existence. Hey, you know what they say about stopped clocks. Excepting digital ones.

The Equals formed in North London. They had a noteworthy single called "Baby Come Back," which stormed to #1 in the UK and even briefly appeared in the American Top 40. It's one of those multigenerational pop earworms that hasn't entirely gone away. People who don't believe punk rock is bullshit will recall that the Clash recorded the Equals' "Police On My Back" for Sandinista!, their oft-debated triple-disc set.

The primary Equal was Guyana-born Eddy Grant, who on his own assaulted the '80s American charts and post-'80s wedding receptions with "Electric Avenue." Grant went on to define the aesthetic principles of the Caribbean music form called "ringbang," which up until now I thought was either a junky telecom start-up or an overly complicated candy bar.

I love it when I happen upon songs like "Diversion." I think I've played it four times since this morning, so it's earned its title.