Song · Richard Hell and the Voidoids
“Blank Generation” by Richard Hell and the Voidoids
From the album Blank Generation (1977)
“Blank Generation” by Richard Hell and the Voidoids appears on 4 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2002 and 2022. It was first released in 1977 on the album Blank Generation. Its best result is #214 on the 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,413 alternative song of all time.
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"Blank Generation" gave Richard Hell and the Voidoids the title for their 1977 debut album on Sire, but the song had been knocking around CBGB for years by then. Hell built it on the bones of "The Beat Generation", the 1959 record by Bob McFadden and Rod McKuen, writing his own words while he was still in Television; a March 1974 tape of it with that band survives, and he took it along to the Heartbreakers too. A version had already appeared on the Another World EP in 1976.
The Voidoids' take has Hell on bass and lead vocal, Robert Quine and Ivan Julian on guitars and backing vocals, and Marc Bell on drums, with Hell co-producing alongside Richard Gottehrer. Malcolm McLaren later claimed the Sex Pistols' "Pretty Vacant" came straight out of it.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 469 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 256 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2019 | 598 | KEXP | KEXP Listeners' Favorite Songs of All Time | 627 |
| 2022 | 214 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
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