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Cover of London Calling by The Clash
Cover: London Calling

Song · The Clash

“Rudie Can't Fail” by The Clash

From the album London Calling (1979)

“Rudie Can't Fail” by The Clash appears on 22 radio countdowns from 7 stations between 1999 and 2025. It was first released in 1979 on the album London Calling. Its best result is #111 on the CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #828 alternative song of all time.

22countdowns
7stations
#111best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1999–2025years charted

Watch

The Clash - Rudie Can't Fail (Official Audio)

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

On London Calling, the Clash's third album from 1979, "Rudie Can't Fail" is the moment the band kicks back and skanks. Joe Strummer and Mick Jones wrote it and trade the vocal as a duet, over a bouncing reggae and rocksteady beat from Topper Headon and Paul Simonon, with horns splashing pop and soul color on top. Guy Stevens produced and Bill Price engineered.

The song toasts Jamaica's rude boys of the '60s, the kids who thumbed their noses at their elders, and its hero is a good-time layabout scolded for refusing to grow up, cracking a beer with his breakfast. The title nods to Desmond Dekker's "007 (Shanty Town)" and to Ray Gange, who played a roadie trailing the Clash in the film Rude Boy.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1999 111 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 112 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 112 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2002 112 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2003 112 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2004 112 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 112 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2007 725 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 691 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 708 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 724 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 745 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 766 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 765 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2014 743 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2018 739 The Current The Current's 893 Essential Songs 892
2020 1762 WXPN WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time 2020
2021 781 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2022 885 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time 1055
2022 476 KEXP KEXP Top Songs of the Last 50 Years (1972-2022) 491
2024 980 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2025 394 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800

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