Martha and the Muffins signed with Virgin Records’ Dindisc label in 1979, recording Echo Beach in a studio near Oxford, England with producer Mike Howlett. Their New Wave, synth-pop (maybe find another adjective for ‘synth-pop’ as we didn’t use many synthesizers on the first album) album “Metro Music” was released in early 1980 in the U.K., Europe and Australia first, and when it was finally released in Canada, it topped out at No. 5 on both the RPM and CHUM charts. (Despite worldwide enthusiasm, Echo Beach did not chart in the U.S., although the band’s later songs did well there.)

Echo Beach and “Metro Music” both went gold before the end of 1980, culminating in the JUNO award for Single of the Year in 1981, as well as a nomination for most promising group of the year in both 1981 and 1982.

In the intervening decades, not only has the nostalgic song been covered by various artists, but the term “Echo Beach” has become a phrase used around the globe. Gane muses, “One of the astounding things about being a songwriter is how this song has embedded itself into various cultural memes.” (possibly examples/links here if room?)

Martha and the Muffins have subsequently released alternative versions of their much-beloved track, including an acoustic track for its 30th anniversary.

Echo Beach earned a SOCAN Classic Award in 2012.

Martha Johnson summed up the song’s universal appeal for the dub label Echo Beach (named for the Muffins recording): “The reinvention of Echo Beach by so many artists brings new life and a new audience to the song. After all, don’t we all long to get back to the beach?”

JUNO and CASBY award winner Mark Gane was influenced by the innovative English rock band Roxy Music and the songwriting of Bryan Ferry. With Martha Johnson, he co-produced the Juno-winning children’s album “From the Tree House.” Their co-written Black Stations/White Stations peaked at No. 2 on the U.S. dance charts. Gane continues to score film and TV shows with Martha Johnson, and to create and exhibit his visual art.