Song · Boomtown Rats
“Lookin' After No. 1” by Boomtown Rats
From the album The Boomtown Rats (1977)
“Lookin' After No. 1” by Boomtown Rats appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1977 and 2003. It was first released in 1977 on the album The Boomtown Rats. Its best result is #39 on the John Peel's Forgotten Fifty of 1977. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #39 alternative song of 1977, #5,468 alternative song of all time and #39 of the '70s.
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Video from YouTube (The Boomtown Rats - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Lookin' After No. 1" was the Boomtown Rats' first single, taken from their self-titled 1977 debut with Robert John "Mutt" Lange producing and Bob Geldof writing every word and note. It went out on Ensign just after the band had played a five-date tour opening for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and one reviewer nailed it as breakneck, sneering selfishness.
It kicked doors open, too. It was the first new wave single the BBC put on its playlist, and the Rats then became the first new wave band invited onto Top of the Pops, where they played it. It reached number 2 in Ireland and 11 in Britain, the first of ten straight UK top 40 singles, and when the band bowed out at the Self Aid fundraiser in 1986, it was the last song they played.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 39 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's Forgotten Fifty of 1977 | 61 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1107 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
Also listed as: Lookin' After No.1.
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