Artist · chart history
The Pursuit of Happiness
Band Toronto Canada Formed 1985
The Pursuit of Happiness formed in 1985 in Toronto, Canada. The Pursuit of Happiness has 26 chart appearances on 25 radio countdowns from 9 stations on RockLists, spanning 1988–2023. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “I'm An Adult Now”, which appears on 24 lists with a best position of #73. The station that charted The Pursuit of Happiness most often is CD101 (Columbus, OH), with 14 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1988.
The Pursuit of Happiness got rolling in Toronto in 1985, after Edmonton frontman Moe Berg and drummer Dave Gilby moved to Ontario and found bassist Johnny Sinclair, with sisters Tamara and Natasha Amabile singing backup. Their first single, "I'm An Adult Now", tore across Canada in 1986 on the strength of a cheap video, shot by Berg's director friend Nelu Ghiran, that MuchMusic picked up: a sardonic, crunchy slice of power pop with a smirk you can hear.
They held off on a label for a while, putting out "Killed by Love" on their own in 1988, and when the Amabiles left to focus on their own band, Kris Abbott (guitar and backing vocals) and Leslie Stanwyck (backing vocals) came in. Chrysalis signed them that year, and Todd Rundgren produced their debut album, Love Junk, which carried a re-recorded "I'm An Adult Now" alongside "Hard To Laugh". It's a record that wears its hooks on the outside: guitars that crunch, harmonies that sparkle and Berg's wisecracks landing right on the beat.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by The Pursuit of Happiness on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I'm An Adult Now | 24 | #73 | – | 1988 | |
| 2 | Ten Long Fingers | 1 | #1122 | – | – | |
| 3 | Hard To Laugh | 1 | #989 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
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