Song · Prefab Sprout
“Bonny” by Prefab Sprout
From the album Steve McQueen (1985)
“Bonny” by Prefab Sprout appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2003 and 2023. It was first released in 1985 on the album Steve McQueen. Its best result is #444 on The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #6,225 alternative song of all time.
"Bonny" is Paddy McAloon's song through and through, words and music, and it lives on Steve McQueen, the second album by English band Prefab Sprout, which Kitchenware released in Britain on 22 June 1985. Thomas Dolby produced it and mixed it with Mike Shipley.
In America the album had to wear another name, Two Wheels Good, when Epic put it out that September, because a legal fight with the actor's estate looked likely; the cover itself tips its hat to McQueen's lifelong love of Triumph motorcycles and to his 1963 film The Great Escape. Critics swooned, the charts were politer (it stopped at number 21 at home), and time has turned it into a benchmark of indie pop. A 2007 legacy edition added acoustic versions of the songs that McAloon recorded in 2006.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1508 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2023 | 444 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
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