Artist · chart history · #141 in alternative artist polls
The Alarm
Band Rhyl United Kingdom Formed 1981
The Alarm formed in 1981 in Rhyl, United Kingdom. The Alarm has 203 chart appearances on 67 radio countdowns from 14 stations on RockLists, spanning 1983–2025. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Rain in the Summertime”, which appears on 38 lists with a best position of #19. The station that charted The Alarm most often is CD101 (Columbus, OH), with 102 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1987.
The Alarm blew in from Rhyl, Wales, in 1981, though Mike Peters had been fronting the same gang as a punk outfit called the Toilets since 1977. By the time they signed with I.R.S. Records, the safety pins had given way to something bigger: arena-sized guitars, harmonica, shout-along choruses and a heart worn openly on the sleeve.
The lineup that made the records was Peters on lead vocals, guitar and harmonica, Dave Sharp on guitar and backing vocals, Eddie MacDonald on bass and Nigel Twist on drums, with Mark Taylor on keyboards. They earned their stripes opening for U2 and Bob Dylan, and they wore Welsh language and culture proudly in the music. "The Stand", from their 1983 EP, set the tone, and "Sixty Eight Guns" went to number 17 in Britain, the biggest single they ever had there. Declaration, the 1984 album that carried it, reached number six on the UK albums chart.
The Strength record in 1985 kept the flag flying with its title track and "Spirit of '76", and Eye of the Hurricane in 1987 smoothed the edges into arena-sized new wave pop, with "Rain in the Summertime" as its big, bright, windswept single and "Rescue Me" and "Presence of Love" alongside. Change in 1989 brought "Sold Me Down the River", and "The Road" followed in 1990.
That lineup held until 1991. Peters kept the name going in later years with new faces, among them Craig Adams, James Stevenson, Smiley on drums and Jules Jones. On the countdowns, "Rain in the Summertime" and "Strength" are the songs listeners have held on to longest.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by The Alarm on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rain in the Summertime | 38 | #19 | – | 1987 | |
| 2 | Strength | 33 | #20 | – | 1985 | |
| 3 | Sixty Eight Guns | 20 | #59 | – | 1984 | |
| 4 | Sold Me Down The River | 18 | #7 | – | 1989 | |
| 5 | The Stand | 23 | #5 | – | 1983 | |
| 6 | Spirit of '76 | 17 | #439 | – | – | |
| 7 | Rescue Me | 18 | #295 | – | – | |
| 8 | Devolution Working Man's Blues | 9 | #514 | – | – | |
| 9 | The Road | 7 | #47 | – | 1990 | |
| 10 | Presence of Love | 3 | #56 | – | 1988 | |
| 11 | The Chant Has Just Begun | 1 | #46 | – | – | |
| 12 | Love Don't Come Easy | 2 | #958 | – | – | |
| 13 | Blaze of Glory | 3 | #785 | – | – | |
| 14 | Absolute Reality | 3 | #147 | – | – | |
| 15 | Marching On | 2 | #776 | – | – | |
| 16 | Rescue Me (Tearing The Bonds Asunder Mix) | 1 | #1038 | – | – | |
| 17 | Rescue Me (Live) | 1 | #65 | – | 1988 | |
| 18 | Rain | 1 | #444 | – | – | |
| 19 | Walk Forever By My Side | 1 | #1806 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
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