Song · The Specials
“Too Hot” by The Specials
From the album Specials (1979)
“Too Hot” by The Specials appears on 2 radio countdowns from 1 station between 2002 and 2003. It was first released in 1979 on the album Specials. Its best result is #539 on the Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,727 alternative song of all time.
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Prince Buster wrote "Too Hot", and the Specials covered it on their debut album, which 2 Tone, Jerry Dammers' label, put out on 19 October 1979. It's one of the record's nods to classic Jamaican ska, slotted in among the band's own songs, and Elvis Costello produced it along with the rest of the album.
That album is where the ska revival snapped into focus, and some hear it as the scene's defining moment. It bottles the anger and disaffection of British kids stuck in the "concrete jungle", a phrase taken from Catch a Fire, Bob Marley's 1973 album, to describe Britain's bleak and violent inner cities.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 847 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 539 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
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