Song · Richard Thompson
“Wall of Death” by Richard Thompson
Released 1998
“Wall of Death” by Richard Thompson appears on 7 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 2004 and 2023. It was first released in 1998. Its best result is #286 on the WYEP 913 Essential Songs. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,897 indie & aaa song of all time.
"Wall of Death" comes from Shoot Out the Lights, the sixth and last album Richard and Linda Thompson made as a husband-and-wife duo, released in 1982 on Joe Boyd's Hannibal label with Boyd producing. Richard wrote it alone and the two of them sing it, with Clive Gregson and Pete Zorn on backing vocals, Richard and Simon Nicol on electric guitars, Dave Pegg on bass and Dave Mattacks on drums.
The road to the record was rough. After Sunnyvista stiffed in 1979 they had no deal at all, and a 1980 attempt bankrolled and produced by Gerry Rafferty ran into friction between him and Richard. The finished album has often been held up as Richard Thompson's finest work.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 626 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) | 885 |
| 2007 | 486 | WTMD | WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time | 897 |
| 2009 | 286 | WYEP | WYEP 913 Essential Songs | 913 |
| 2009 | 715 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Desert Island Songs (2009) | 885 |
| 2019 | 1031 | WYEP | WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 | 1099 |
| 2021 | 876 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s | 909 |
| 2023 | 724 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
Also listed as: Wall Of Death.
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