Song · Sparks
“Tips for Teens” by Sparks
From the album Whomp That Sucker (1981)
“Tips for Teens” by Sparks appears on 4 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1981 and 2003. It was first released in 1981 on the album Whomp That Sucker. Its best result is #67 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #67 alternative song of 1981 and #3,342 alternative song of all time.
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Ron and Russell Mael wrote "Tips for Teens" for Whomp That Sucker, the 1981 album that marched Sparks off the disco floor and back to rock. Their two records with Giorgio Moroder, No. 1 in Heaven and Terminal Jive, had done fairly well, but the brothers found all that electronic gear too unwieldy to take on tour. So they made this one at Musicland Studios in Munich without Moroder himself, and Mack produced it, fresh from Queen's The Game.
For the album they hired a backing band called Bates Motel, with Bob Haag on guitar, Leslie Bohem on bass and David Kendrick on drums, a lineup that would stay with the Maels for the next four albums, through 1986's Music That You Can Dance To.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 67 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981 | 106 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 130 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) | 496 |
| 2002 | 1498 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 563 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
Also listed as: Tips For Teens.
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