Song · Joe Jackson
“On Your Radio” by Joe Jackson
From the album I’m the Man (1979)
“On Your Radio” by Joe Jackson appears on 11 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 1999 and 2022. It was first released in 1979 on the album I’m the Man. Its best result is #702 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,098 alternative song of all time.
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"On Your Radio" was never even released as a single, yet this cut from Joe Jackson's 1979 album I'm the Man became one of his best-loved concert numbers and drew warm reviews. Jackson wrote it as a sneering kiss-off to everyone who ever wrote him off: old enemies, former friends and lovers, old bosses.
The grudge runs deep. Jackson was a lonely outcast as a kid, sick with asthma and knocked around in the schoolyard, and this is the payback. Graham Maby's bass does the heavy lifting, a strutting, up-front line that shoves the whole thing forward, with Gary Sanford's guitar and Dave Houghton's drums snapping in behind. David Kershenbaum produced, Alan Winstanley recorded it, and Jackson's voice curls with righteous spite.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 967 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 1018 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 1022 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 1022 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2002 | 1047 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 1007 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2003 | 1489 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2004 | 1007 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 1007 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
| 2009 | 740 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Essential Songs | 913 |
| 2022 | 702 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
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