JORDAN LUCK

It’s an over-used word, but ‘iconic’ is not only justifiable, but also apt in describing Jordan Luck and the songs he wrote and sang for the Dance Exponents (and later, the simplified Exponents). Songs like “Victoria”, the tenderest, most sing-alongable tale of an abusive relationship in the pop canon, and genuine Kiwi anthems like “Why Does Love Do This To Me?”, “Who Loves Who The Most?”, and “I’ll Say Goodbye (Even Though I’m Blue)”.

But there’s really no word to describe the special relationship that Luck has with generations of music fans, who have grown up attending his group’s celebrated summer tours, and shouting the ear-worm choruses of his songs wherever there’s any excuse to revel.

While the Exponents officially called it a day in 1999, it feels like they never went away, with Luck keeping the flame burning in his own bands, sporadic reunions, compilation albums and the odd recording session generating a small amount of new material.

Invariably described as one of the nicest guys in rock, Luck is always accommodating to fans and peers alike, and it’s no small measure of his popularity that he became the first inductee into the NZ Music Hall of Fame in 2007, and then 5 years later was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit in the Queens Birthday Honours List 2012.