Song · David Byrne
“Dirty Old Town” by David Byrne
From the album Rei Momo (1989)
“Dirty Old Town” by David Byrne appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1989 and 2003. It was first released in 1989 on the album Rei Momo. Its best result is #86 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1989. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #190 alternative song of 1989 and #6,677 alternative song of all time.
"Dirty Old Town" comes off Rei Momo, David Byrne's 1989 album: his first solo studio record and, counting the 1981 collaboration My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, his second overall. The album dives headfirst into Latin music, from Cuban rumba, mambo and bolero to Dominican merengue, Colombian cumbia and Brazilian samba, with Byrne singing mostly in English.
Here he sings and plays electric guitar in front of a packed rhythm section: Robby Ameen on drums, Andy González on bass, Paquito Pastor on piano, Milton Cardona on congas, José Mangual Jr. on bongos and Marc Quiñones on timbales. Above them, trumpeters Steve Guttman, Jose "Ite" Jerez and David "Piro" Rodríguez and trombonists Tom "Bones" Malone and Dave Taylor punch bright holes in the air, and Byrne's nervy yelp rides the clatter like a man who has finally found the party.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 86 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1989 | 107 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1698 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
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