Song · Skid Row
“Youth Gone Wild” by Skid Row
From the album Skid Row (1989)
“Youth Gone Wild” by Skid Row appears on 17 radio countdowns from 7 stations between 1990 and 2026. It was first released in 1989 on the album Skid Row. Its best result is #147 on the WLLZ 500 (2020). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,156 classic rock song of all time.
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Video from YouTube (RHINO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Youth Gone Wild" was the first shot Skid Row fired, the debut single off their self-titled 1989 debut album, out on Atlantic that January. Rachel Bolan and Dave "The Snake" Sabo wrote it, and Sebastian Bach wails it like he wants the whole cul-de-sac to hear, with Sabo and Scotti Hill on guitars, Bolan on bass, Rob Affuso on drums, and Bolan, Hill and Sabo on backing vocals. Michael Wagener produced, recorded and mixed it.
The video got heavy rotation on MTV, yet the single stalled at 99 on the Hot 100 and 27 on the Mainstream Rock chart; a 1992 reissue, backed with a live "Delivering the Goods", took it to 22 in the UK. Louder's Sleazegrinder later heard glam-era suburban teen malaise in it and ranked it among the 20 greatest hair metal anthems.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Classic Rock
Hard Rock & Metal
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 170 | Z-Rock | Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) | 1000 |
| 2002 | 641 | KISW | KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) | 999 |
| 2010 | 495 | 97.9 The Loop | The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) | 500 |
| 2017 | 432 | 97.9 The Loop | 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) | 540 |
| 2019 | 375 | 106.7 WLLZ | WLLZ 500 (2019) | 500 |
| 2020 | 147 | 106.7 WLLZ | WLLZ 500 (2020) | 500 |
| 2021 | 153 | 106.7 WLLZ | WLLZ 500 (2021) | 500 |
| 2022 | 337 | 99.1 PLR | 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022) | 500 |
| 2022 | 148 | 106.7 WLLZ | WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) | 500 |
| 2022 | 1019 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) | 1025 |
| 2023 | 238 | 106.7 WLLZ | WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) | 500 |
| 2024 | 331 | 99.1 PLR | 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2024) | 400 |
| 2024 | 495 | 106.7 WLLZ | WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) | 500 |
| 2024 | 345 | KSHE 95 | KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) | 500 |
| 2025 | 373 | 99.1 PLR | 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) | 400 |
| 2025 | 313 | 106.7 WLLZ | WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) | 500 |
| 2026 | 446 | 106.7 WLLZ | WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) | 500 |
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