It's a Fine Day

"It's a Fine Day" is a song written by English poet and musician Edward Barton. It was originally recorded a cappella in 1983 by Jane and later by Opus III, for whom it was a major international hit in 1992. Original recording by Jane Barton wrote the lyrics as a poem when living in the Hulme area of Manchester. It was originally sung unaccompanied by, and credited to, Jane – that is, Jane Lancaster, Barton's girlfriend. They recorded and released it independently, and it was played by radio DJ John Peel. It was then heard by Iain McNay of Cherry Red Records, who obtained the rights to the record and released it more widely on his label in 1983. It reached number 5 on the UK Indie Chart, and later appeared, credited to Jane and Barton, on their eponymous mini-album, Jane and Barton. This version of the song appeared on the 2013 indie-pop compilation album, Scared to Get Happy: A Story of Indie-Pop 1980–1989. Jane's unaccompanied vocal version of the song was given a backing track by A Guy Called Gerald in 1992.