Song · Killing Joke
“Requiem” by Killing Joke
From the album Killing Joke (1980)
“Requiem” by Killing Joke appears on 4 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1980 and 1991. It was first released in 1980 on the album Killing Joke. Its best result is #27 on the John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1981). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,758 alternative song of all time.
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"Requiem" was the second single pulled from Killing Joke's self-titled debut album, out on E.G. Records and Malicious Damage in September 1980. Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson, Martin Glover and Geordie Walker wrote it together, and the band produced it themselves, which suits a record this grim and unbending: post-punk as a march through the ruins. The seven-inch carried "Change" on the flip, and a 12-inch added a demo of the song.
The national chart ignored it, but it went all the way to number 1 on the UK Indie Chart and even reached 43 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart in America. Its reach kept spreading: Foo Fighters covered it in 1997 as a B-side to "Everlong", and Godflesh played it live on their 2001 tour with Killing Joke bassist Paul Raven along for the ride.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 35 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1980) | 50 |
| 1981 | 27 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1981) | 50 |
| 1982 | 32 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1982) | 50 |
| 1991 | 901 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
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