Song · The Clash
“Revolution Rock” by The Clash
From the album London Calling (1979)
“Revolution Rock” by The Clash appears on 4 radio countdowns from 3 stations between 2001 and 2024. It was first released in 1979 on the album London Calling. Its best result is #260 on The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,863 indie & aaa song of all time.
The Clash didn't write "Revolution Rock". Danny Ray cut it first, as a reggae single in 1976, borrowing enough from Jackie Edwards's "Get Up" that Edwards shares the credit, and the Clash grabbed it for London Calling, their third album. It very nearly had the last word on that record, too, until "Train in Vain" was tacked on at the eleventh hour.
Guy Stevens produced and Bill Price engineered, with Joe Strummer and Mick Jones on guitars, Paul Simonon on bass and Topper Headon on drums, while the Irish Horns punch out staccato riffs. Strummer plays his voice like one more instrument, faking a call-and-response with the band, and Billboard heard the Clash get downright giddy. It stayed in their live set from late 1979 through 1981, and a line from its last verse gave the Australian band Weddings Parties Anything its name.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 869 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2020 | 1611 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
| 2022 | 893 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time | 1055 |
| 2024 | 260 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs | 850 |
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