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Cover of British Steel by Judas Priest
Cover: British Steel

Song · Judas Priest

“Living After Midnight” by Judas Priest

From the album British Steel (1980)

“Living After Midnight” by Judas Priest appears on 80 radio countdowns from 28 stations between 1980 and 2026. It was first released in 1980 on the album British Steel. Its best result is #17 on the Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #5,594 indie & aaa song of all time.

80countdowns
28stations
#17best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1980–2026years charted

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Living After Midnight

Video from YouTube (Judas Priest - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Living After Midnight" rolled off British Steel, Judas Priest's 1980 album, and its title came out of a sleepless night at Tittenhurst Park, where the band were holed up making the record. Glenn Tipton was cranking his guitar at 4 AM, Rob Halford grumbled that his bandmate was really living after midnight, and Tipton grabbed the line as a name for the tune he was building.

Tom Allom produced it, and it's Priest at their most good-time: Tipton and Kenneth Downing's guitars chugging in lockstep, Ian Hill and Dave Holland keeping it simple, Halford hollering a hymn to hedonism. Julien Temple's video, shot live at Sheffield City Hall, opens with Holland pounding an invisible kit, and the front row answers the solo on cardboard guitars. It remains one of the band's best-loved songs.

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
1980 17 KISW Seattle-Tacoma, WA KISW 25 Greatest Rock Songs from 1980 25

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 328 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1990 17 Z-Rock Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) 1000
1991 418 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 75 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 43 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 75 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1997 133 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1997 336 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1998 78 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 87 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2002 298 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2004 137 Q101 Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004) 300
2010 50 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2011 925 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2011 162 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2012 973 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2013 471 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 446 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 285 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2014 269 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 400 (2014) 400
2014 643 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 278 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 382 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 445 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 371 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 143 103.5 The Fox The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016) 299
2016 326 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 257 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2017 264 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 290 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 315 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 334 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 313 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 456 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 383 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 596 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 476 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2020 461 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 228 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 450 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 376 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 408 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2021 356 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2021 276 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 682 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 498 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 379 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 498 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 386 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2022 426 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 378 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 371 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 866 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 284 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 137 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) 500
2022 468 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 260 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2023 493 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 376 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 276 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 526 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2023 371 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 84 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 83 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 307 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2024 372 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 388 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 374 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 261 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 282 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 59 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 184 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2025 251 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 651 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 130 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 203 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 287 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2026 336 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 260 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Livin' After Midnight; Livin After Midnight.

Charting alongside it in 1980

Best songs of 1980 →
  1. 1And the Cradle Will RockVan Halen
  2. 2Another One Bites the DustQueen
  3. 3Whip ItDevo
  4. 4Don't Stand So Close to MeThe Police
  5. 5Once in a LifetimeTalking Heads
  6. 6You Shook Me All Night LongAC/DC

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