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Cover of The Crossing by Big Country
Cover: The Crossing

Song · Big Country

“In a Big Country” by Big Country

From the album The Crossing (1983)

“In a Big Country” by Big Country appears on 77 radio countdowns from 23 stations between 1983 and 2026. It was first released in 1983 on the album The Crossing. Its best result is #3 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1983. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #3 alternative song of 1983, #220 alternative song of all time and #57 of the '80s.

77countdowns
23stations
#3best position
0#1 finishes
2top 10 finishes
1983–2026years charted

Watch

Big Country - In A Big Country

Video from YouTube (BigCountryVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"In a Big Country" came off The Crossing, the Scottish band Big Country's debut album, and Mercury sent it out as the record's third single in May 1983. Stuart Adamson wrote the words, the music came from Adamson, Bruce Watson, Tony Butler and Mark Brzezicki together, and Steve Lillywhite produced it with Will Gosling engineering.

It's a big, bright, wide-open noise, skirling like pipes across a glen over a beat that marches double time, and it pumps its fist in the air with real conviction. It sounds like it wants to climb a hill and shout from the top of it.

It reached number 17 on both the UK Singles Chart and the Hot 100, and number three on the US rock tracks chart and on Canada's RPM 50.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1983 4 KROQ Los Angeles, CA KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1983 107
1983 3 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1983 91
1984 78 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1984 91

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
– 108 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s 200
1988 111 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) 496
1988 349 Live 105 Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) 501
1989 20 91X 91X Top 191 Songs of the 1980s (1989) 191
1989 94 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1989 351 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1990 260 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1990) 299
1991 146 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991) 302
1991 361 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 109 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1992 155 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1992 175 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992) 299
1994 224 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1994 66 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994) 500
1994 174 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) 500
1995 198 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1995 108 Live 105 Live 105 Revolutionary 300 (July 1995) 300
1996 330 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 217 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1996 196 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) 498
1998 137 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 82 Channel 104.9 Channel 104.9 Top 101 Songs of the '80s (February 1999) 104
1999 495 91X 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999) 500
1999 441 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 140 WLIR / WDRE WLIR Top 300 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 300
1999 333 WFNX WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999) 500
1999 287 107.7 The End The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1077
1999 153 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 455 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 204 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 394 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 455 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 395 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 456 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 385 WBRU WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001) 500
2002 355 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 456 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 389 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 456 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 206 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 456 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 715 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2005 419 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 458 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 952 99X 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005) 1000
2005 90 96.5 The Buzz 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 70s & 80s 96
2006 479 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2006 94 107.7 The End The End Top 107 Resurrection Songs (December 2006) 107
2007 1153 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 1079 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 1073 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 1115 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2010 496 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 1154 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2012 719 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 1210 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 1188 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2020 849 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 16 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2022 382 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 499 X96 X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time 500
2022 825 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2023 60 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 63 91X 91X Top 91 Songs of The Last 40 Years 91
2023 831 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 136 WYEP WYEP Countdown to Fall 2023 1229
2023 375 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2023 218 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places 800
2024 263 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 907 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2025 601 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 380 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800
2026 320 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498
2026 531 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180

Also listed as: In A Big Country.

Charting alongside it in 1983

Best songs of 1983 →
  1. 1New Year's DayU2
  2. 2Let's DanceDavid Bowie
  3. 3The LovecatsThe Cure
  4. 4Every Breath You TakeThe Police
  5. 5Rebel YellBilly Idol
  6. 7Never StopEcho and the Bunnymen

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