Meanwhile, in the U.K., "I Ran" just missed the Top 40, but "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" reached number ten later in the year in the States, that single became a Top 40 hit in 1983. The follow-up single "Space Age Love Song" also charted, peaking at number 30. Featuring shots of the band and Score's distinctive winged hairstyle, the song's music video became a staple of the summer of 1982, and "I Ran" climbed into the American Top Ten, taking their debut album along with it. It was their third single and first with Jive, "I Ran (So Far Away)," that brought them out of the clubs and into heavy rotation on MTV. A Flock of Seagulls signed a major-label contract with Jive by the end of the year, and their eponymous debut album appeared in the spring of 1982. The band's debut EP, Modern Love Is Automatic followed quickly on the same label, and its lead track, "Telecommunication," became an underground hit in Euro-disco and new wave clubs. Bill Nelson's Cocteau Records label issued their first song, the stand-alone single "(It's Not Me) Talking," which reached number 78 on the U.K. Hairdresser Mike Score (lead vocals, keyboards) formed A Flock of Seagulls with his brother Ali (drums) and fellow hairdresser Frank Maudsley (bass) in 1980, adding guitarist Paul Reynolds several months later. between 19, including with the Top Ten hit "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)." After their fourth album, 1985's Dream Come True, failed to chart, they briefly disbanded, but regrouped with a frequently shifting lineup behind leader Mike Score and toured primarily as a nostalgia act for decades to follow.
Despite often being referred to as a one-hit wonder, they charted twice as many times in their native U.K. Growing out of the stylish new romantic movement, their combination of lush synths, textured guitar, and a sleek dance-pop landed them on the U.S. Best known for their 1982 hit "I Ran (So Far Away)," A Flock of Seagulls' reign as a Top 40 act, while brief, established them as one of the definitive bands of the new wave era.