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Cover of Freeze‐Frame by J. Geils Band
Cover: Freeze‐Frame

Song · J. Geils Band

“Centerfold” by J. Geils Band

From the album Freeze‐Frame (1981)

“Centerfold” by J. Geils Band appears on 82 radio countdowns from 28 stations between 1981 and 2026. It was first released in 1981 on the album Freeze‐Frame. Its best result is #5 on the KISW 25 Biggest Rock Songs from 1981. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #155 of the '80s.

82countdowns
28stations
#5best position
0#1 finishes
1top 10 finishes
1981–2026years charted

Watch

The J. Geils Band - Centerfold (Official Music Video)

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

"Centerfold" led the charge for Freeze Frame, the J. Geils Band's tenth album, in the fall of 1981, and it's the record that finally put them on top: six weeks at number one in America early in 1982, plus number one in Canada and Australia, the biggest hit they ever had. Seth Justman wrote it, arranged it and produced it, and it bounces along on a playground-simple, sing-song hook that burrows in and won't leave.

The joke has teeth, though. The narrator flips open a men's magazine and finds his high school crush staring back from the centerfold, and he spends the song torn between moping over her lost innocence and plain old lust. The video turned into an early fixture on the brand-new MTV.

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

RockLists rankings

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1981 5 KISW Seattle-Tacoma, WA KISW 25 Biggest Rock Songs from 1981 25

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 439 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1997 296 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
2002 245 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2002 361 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2004 389 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2011 385 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2011 158 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2012 175 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 388 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2013 192 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 58 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 82 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 121 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 304 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 129 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 413 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 304 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 418 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 129 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 218 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2016 215 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 220 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 274 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 85 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2017 360 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2017 91 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 170 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2018 126 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2018 112 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 82 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 136 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 116 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 234 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 318 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 487 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 142 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 218 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 121 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2021 121 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 116 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 162 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 462 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 117 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 207 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 820 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 410 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2022 56 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 135 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 189 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2022 95 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 203 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 41 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 492 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 203 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 226 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 179 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2023 508 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2023 298 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 194 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 112 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 372 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 235 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 164 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 135 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 663 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2024 384 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 319 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 371 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 291 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 235 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 240 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 229 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 745 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2025 368 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 289 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 273 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 144 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 233 WFPK WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s 498
2026 144 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 263 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 258 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500

Charting alongside it in 1981

Best songs of 1981 →
  1. 1Start Me UpThe Rolling Stones
  2. 2Tom SawyerRush
  3. 3I Love Rock-N-RollJoan Jett
  4. 4Every Little Thing She Does Is MagicThe Police
  5. 5Jukebox HeroForeigner
  6. 6For Those About to RockAC/DC

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