Song · The Buggles
“Living in the Plastic Age” by The Buggles
Released 1980
“Living in the Plastic Age” by The Buggles appears on 2 radio countdowns from 1 station between 2002 and 2003. It was first released in 1980. Its best result is #1259 on the Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #5,080 alternative song of all time.
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"Living in the Plastic Age" was how the Buggles followed "Video Killed the Radio Star": the second single off The Age of Plastic, their debut album, recorded in 1979 and issued by Island Records in 1980. Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes wrote it, and the Buggles played and produced it themselves, synth-pop through and through.
It couldn't match its predecessor, but it held its own, reaching 16 in the UK and 3 in France, and critics took to it, some counting it among the album's best. It got a Top of the Pops performance, and Russell Mulcahy's video earned a neat footnote when MTV aired it second-to-last on the channel's very first day. The B-side, "Island", was the band's thank-you note to their label.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 1611 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 1259 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
Also listed as: Living in the plastic age.
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