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Ian Dury & The Blockheads
Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Artist · chart history

Ian Dury & The Blockheads

Band London United Kingdom

Ian Dury & The Blockheads formed in London, United Kingdom. Ian Dury & The Blockheads has 35 chart appearances on 28 radio countdowns from 7 stations on RockLists, spanning 1991–2025. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”, which appears on 26 lists with a best position of #57. The station that charted Ian Dury & The Blockheads most often is CD101 (Columbus, OH), with 18 appearances.

35appearances
28countdowns
6songs charted
7stations
0#1 finishes
1991–2025years

Ian Dury and the Blockheads came out of London sounding like nobody else in the new wave. Where punk flailed, this lot swung. Norman Watt-Roy's bass slithered around like it had been greased, Charley Charles drummed with the patience of a funk man, Chaz Jankel and John Turnbull split the guitar and keyboard duties, and Davey Payne's saxophone honked and squealed over the top. Out front, Dury played ringmaster, part poet and part barroom comedian.

Stiff Records turned them loose, and the singles did the rest: "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll", "What a Waste", "Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3" and the jittery, irresistible strut of "Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick". Do It Yourself followed in 1979 and Laughter, home of "Hey Hey Take Me Away", in 1980.

The original crew held together until 1982 and patched things up again in 1987. Dury died in 2000, but the Blockheads refused to call it a day, carrying on with Derek Hussey as their singer and chief lyricist until 2022.

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

Songs by Ian Dury & The Blockheads on radio countdowns

#SongStrengthListsBest#1sPeak year
1 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
915		 26 #57 – –
2 Reasons To Be Cheerful, Pt. 3
55		 1 #360 – –
3 Hey Hey Take me away
36		 1 #1319 – –
4 Inbetweenies
24		 1 #1551 – –
5 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
16		 4 #1897 – –
6 Wake Up and Make Love With Me
8		 1 #1886 – –

Albums with charting songs

Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.

Every countdown appearance

Year#SongCountdown
2025 360 Reasons To Be Cheerful, Pt. 3 The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs
2022 756 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time
2022 459 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s
2014 1879 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2013 1812 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2011 1754 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2010 1686 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2010 1976 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2009 1647 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2009 1924 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2008 1636 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2008 1897 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2007 1675 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2007 1927 Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2006 465 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006)
2005 1129 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2005 98 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick Virgin Radio Top 100 Brit Songs of All-Time (May 2005)
2005 329 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2004 1129 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2004 137 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2003 1129 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 376 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1319 Hey Hey Take me away Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1551 Inbetweenies Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1886 Wake Up and Make Love With Me Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2002 1144 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 374 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 83 Artist ranking Virgin Radio Top 100 Brit Artists of All-Time (December 2002)
2001 1145 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 57 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2000 1142 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
1999 855 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 1139 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 717 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999)
1991 799 Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition)

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