Song · Adam & the Ants
“Kings of the Wild Frontier” by Adam & the Ants
From the album Kings of the Wild Frontier (1980)
“Kings of the Wild Frontier” by Adam & the Ants appears on 4 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 1980 and 2026. It was first released in 1980 on the album Kings of the Wild Frontier. Its best result is #30 on the John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1980). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #5,363 alternative song of all time.
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Adam and the Ants unleashed "Kings of the Wild Frontier" in July 1980, the title track of their second album and their first single after leaving the little indie label Do It Records. Adam Ant and Marco Pirroni wrote it, and it marks the band's first go at the two-drummer Burundi beat, soon their trademark, with producer Chris Hughes pounding alongside Terry Lee Miall. Pirroni plays electric guitar, Kevin Mooney plays bass and sings, and Adam takes the lead vocal and adds acoustic guitar, harmonica and piano.
The Guardian later heard thunderous drums, whooping and feedback in it and called it one of the weirdest grabs at teen stardom ever made. First time out it stalled at number 48 in the UK; reissued in February 1981, after "Dog Eat Dog" and "Antmusic" broke through, it went to number 2.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 30 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1980) | 50 |
| 2002 | 1876 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 2035 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2026 | 759 | WYEP | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time | 1180 |
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