Favorite "Town" Songs #3 - "The Boys are Back in Town"
@teamfreak16 (43684)
Denver, Colorado
February 12, 2019 12:06pm CST
Geez. For the past week or so, things just kept popping up. Things that needed my attention. Many. Things. But duty calls. I am counting down my favorite songs with "Town," "City," "State," and "Country" in the title. This is the "Town" portion of today's discussion, and we are at #3: "The Boys are Back in Town" by Thin Lizzy.
It was the song that saved the band. And it was a surprise hit as well, reaching the Top 10 in Ireland (#1,) the UK and Canada (#8 in both locales,) and #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. A big surprise, because not only is "The Boys are Back in Town" anywhere close to being the best song on Thin Lizzy's 1976 album, Jailbreak, but it really wasn't even intended for inclusion on that record.
According to Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham, the band recorded 15 demos for Jailbreak, and when they picked the 10 that they wanted to use, "The Boys are Back in Town" was not one of them (luckily for them, the song still made the cut.)
Furthermore, Jailbreak was selling poorly, and Thin Lizzy, while they were out there gigging their asses off, weren't selling a hell of a lot of tickets, and were ready to call it a day.
However.
A couple of DJ's at a Louisville, Kentucky radio station dug the tune, and began playing it during their shifts, prompting other area stations to follow suit.
Surprise!!! Big hit single! Band saved! Thank you Louisville! Goodnight!
And that's the way it was in Rock and Roll, 1976.
(Info verified by Wikipedia)
Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group The Boys Are Back in Town · Thin Lizzy Jailbreak ? 1976 Mercury Records Limited Released on: 1990-03-05 Producer...
7 people like this
7 responses
@teamfreak16 (43684)
• Denver, Colorado
13 Feb 19
Thank you. I do get on a roll every once in awhile!
@FourWalls (86940)
• United States
13 Feb 19
We have our moments. It was a Louisville DJ who "spliced" together the solo versions of "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" by Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand (who'd each recorded the song solo) into a "duet," prompting them to actually record it that way! He later sued Columbia Records for money for coming up with the idea.
Oh, yeah, great song....speaking of Louisville, that's where I saw Thin Lizzy!!
2 people like this
@teamfreak16 (43684)
• Denver, Colorado
13 Feb 19
Unless it's a corporate directive, that piece of brilliance would never fly in today's radio. Sad what my former industry has become.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43684)
• Denver, Colorado
13 Feb 19
Hell, as much as this still gets played on the radio, there are probably adults who only know it from that!
1 person likes this
@much2say (57760)
• Los Angeles, California
14 Feb 19
@teamfreak16 Probably so 
!
!1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43684)
• Denver, Colorado
13 Feb 19
I had to look it up, but they took the name of a robot character named "Tin Lizzy" from a British comic book called The Dandy. They tweaked the name in a tongue in cheek reference to the way the Irish (they are an Irish band) pronounce "thin" as "t'in."
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (382664)
• Rockingham, Australia
14 Feb 19
@teamfreak16 The Irish accent is something else isn't it? It's mostly the 'th' that they miss. They say stuff like I t'ought dis or t'ought dat.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43684)
• Denver, Colorado
17 Feb 19
@JudyEv - It is, although I've really only heard it done in movies. I am of Irish descent. I guess that I should try to find a way to somehow get over there and experience it first-hand!
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43684)
• Denver, Colorado
13 Feb 19
I'm pretty sure that it's the first song by them that I heard.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
14 Feb 19
As you stated this tune gave Thin Lizzy worldwide exposure. Surprisingly Thin Lizzy's only Top 40 hit in the US? Wonder if any of the surviving members are still Drivin' all the old men crazy? Probably not since their old men now 
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43684)
• Denver, Colorado
17 Feb 19
Actually, they still tour once in awhile as Thin Lizzy, but out of respect for Phil, any new music is released as Black Star Riders, rather than Thin Lizzy.
1 person likes this
@dgobucks226 (37621)
•
17 Feb 19
@teamfreak16 Great! These guys have not "faded away."
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
12 Feb 19
Saw this one coming a mile away!
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43684)
• Denver, Colorado
13 Feb 19
I just thought that I'd lob this one in there!
1 person likes this
