A Touch of Class (also known as ATC) was a pop group based in Germany, although the four members each came from different countries — Joseph "Joey" Murray from New Zealand, Livio Salvi from Italy, Sarah Egglestone from Australia and Tracey Elizabeth Packham from the United Kingdom.
Their first single, "Around the World (La La La La La)" (which was a cover of the song "Pesenka" by the Russian group Ruki Vverh!) was number one in Germany for six weeks in 2000. It was later a Top 40 hit in the United Kingdom and United States. The song was in a television commercial for General Electric in the United States in early 2002. The song was also covered in 2007 by the band BeFour under the name "Magic Melody". In 2010, the song was sampled in the singles "La La La" by Auburn (featuring Iyaz), which peaked at no. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100, and in "2 in the Morning" by Girlicious, which peaked at no. 35 on the Canadian Hot 100.
Their debut album Planet Pop, featuring songs from Alex Christensen and Clyde Ward, was released on February 6, 2001 by Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Republic Records, for which they were awarded an ECHO for Best Dance Act. Similar-sounding follow-up singles were successful in parts of Europe, but A Touch of Class are mainly remembered for their first hit.
The DJ and producer ATB successfully took the band's record label to court, and they were forced to change their name to A Touch of Class. Three singles were released from their second album Touch the Sky in 2003, but they were not particularly successful, and the group members decided to go their separate ways.