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Song · Tesla

“Signs” by Tesla

Released 1990

“Signs” by Tesla appears on 58 radio countdowns from 24 stations between 1990 and 2026. It was first released in 1990. Its best result is #124 on the WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #579 classic rock song of all time.

58countdowns
24stations
#124best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1990–2026years charted

Watch

Tesla - Signs (Live At The Trocadero / 1990)

Video from YouTube (TeslaVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

Tesla's 1990 take on "Signs" dusts off a Les Emmerson song first cut by his Canadian group, Five Man Electrical Band, and hands it to a new crowd on Geffen. Emmerson wrote it while driving Route 66 back to Los Angeles from Canada, fed up with billboards and big signs blotting out the scenery.

That makes it a cranky protest song about a country hidden behind its own advertising, and Tesla sing it with a grin and a wink, turning the old complaint into a hard rock sing-along.

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#StationCountdownof
1990 464 Z-Rock Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) 1000
1991 444 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 614 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 614 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 291 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1997 682 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1998 276 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 236 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2002 440 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2010 407 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2012 1194 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2013 896 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 895 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2015 469 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 908 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 827 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2017 450 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 493 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 452 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 450 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 304 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 445 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2020 299 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 314 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 507 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 394 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 255 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2021 183 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 427 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 332 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 314 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 625 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 340 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2022 124 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 213 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 139 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 665 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 309 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2023 151 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 218 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 213 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 387 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 406 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 430 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2024 429 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 1033 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 418 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 240 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 210 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 820 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs 850
2025 425 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 427 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 391 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 165 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Top 400 of the Last 40 Years (2025) 400
2025 350 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2026 457 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 488 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 427 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500

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