Song · The Clash
“Charlie Don't Surf” by The Clash
From the album Sandinista! (1980)
“Charlie Don't Surf” by The Clash appears on 3 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1988 and 2003. It was first released in 1980 on the album Sandinista!. Its best result is #257 on the KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,817 alternative song of all time.
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"Charlie Don't Surf" turns up on Sandinista!, the sprawling triple album the Clash put out on 12 December 1980, with Joe Strummer and Mick Jones sharing the lead vocal. The writing credit goes to all four of them, Topper Headon and Paul Simonon included, which was the new rule on this record: for the first time the songs belonged to the band as a whole rather than to Strummer and Jones alone.
The Clash produced it themselves, and it fits right into an album that roams through reggae, dub, funk, jazz, gospel, rockabilly and rap without ever asking permission. The band even took a cut in royalties so that all 36 tracks could be sold cheap.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 257 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988) | 496 |
| 1989 | 358 | KROQ | KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) | 495 |
| 2003 | 1114 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
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