"Homely Girl" is a song by American vocal group

the Chi-Lites The Chi-Lites (, ) are an American R&B/soul vocal quartet from Chicago, Illinois, United States. Forming at Chicago's Hyde Park High School in 1959, The group's original lineup consisted of singers Robert Lester, Eugene Record, Creadel Jones, ...

. Release in 1973, it reached number five on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, number three on the US

Hot Soul Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart, and number 54 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. A cover by UB40 also became a hit between 1989 and 1991 in several countries.

Charts

UB40 version

A cover version by

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the ...

, from their ninth studio album, ''

Labour of Love II ''Labour of Love II'' is the ninth album and second covers album by UB40, released in 1989. The album contained two top-ten Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits – "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" peaked at No. 7, "The Way You Do the Th ...

'' (1989), was released as a single on November 6, 1989, in the United Kingdom. This cover reached the top 10 in the UK, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. In France, the song was used in a television advertisement for the Lee Cooper jeans. David Giles of ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' deemed "Homely Girl" as "UB40's best for a while", adding: "It's a mark of a truly great band to be able to perform a cover version so convincingly that you end up thinking they've written it themselves".

Track listings

7-inch single # "Homely Girl" – 3:22 # "Gator" (instrumental) – 4:01 12-inch single # "Homely Girl" (extended mix) – 7:29 # "Gator" (instrumental) – 4:01 # "Homely Girl" – 3:22 CD single # "Homely Girl" – 3:22 # "Gator" (instrumental) – 4:01 # "Homely Girl" (extended mix) – 7:29

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other versions

In 1974, Jackie Robinson, lead singer of The Pioneers, released a cover version in the UK on

Trojan Records Trojan Records is a British record label founded in 1968. It specialises in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label currently operates under the Sanctuary Records Group. The name ''Trojan'' comes from the Croydon-built Trojan truck ...

' subsidiary label Harry J (catalogue number HJ6674). It was this reggae version that inspired UB40, whose "Labour of Love" albums are cover versions of reggae tracks of the 1960s and 1970s.

References

{{Authority control 1973 songs 1989 singles 1991 singles Brunswick Records singles The Chi-Lites songs Songs written by Eugene Record UB40 songs Virgin Records singles