Song · Missing Persons
“Destination Unknown” by Missing Persons
From the EP Missing Persons (1980)
“Destination Unknown” by Missing Persons appears on 16 radio countdowns from 8 stations between 1982 and 2026. It was first released in 1980 on the EP Missing Persons. Its best result is #40 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #59 alternative song of 1982 and #1,408 alternative song of all time.
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"Destination Unknown" first turned up on Missing Persons' self-titled 1980 EP, and it got a second life two years later: Capitol put it out as a single in September 1982, and it landed on the band's first full album, Spring Session M. Dale Bozzio, Terry Bozzio and Warren Cuccurullo wrote it, and Ken Scott produced it at Frank Zappa's Utility Muffin Research Kitchen studio.
It's new wave built for speed and gloss, all chrome-plated synth sheen, tight, twitchy rhythm and a wide-eyed, hiccupping vocal that sounds beamed in from the future. It stalled just outside the Hot 100's top 40, peaking at 42, and made 40 on the Cashbox chart.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 40 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982 | 107 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | 179 | WLIR / WDRE | WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s | 200 |
| 1988 | 485 | Live 105 | Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) | 501 |
| 1989 | 239 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) | 495 |
| 1992 | 98 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) | 500 |
| 1994 | 187 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) | 497 |
| 1995 | 309 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) | 500 |
| 1996 | 75 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) | 500 |
| 1996 | 272 | Q101 | Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) | 500 |
| 1998 | 145 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) | 488 |
| 1999 | 570 | Q101 | Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 1017 |
| 2002 | 74 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 334 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2021 | 794 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2023 | 202 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
| 2026 | 216 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s | 498 |
Also listed as: Destination Unkown.
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