Song · The Stranglers
“Skin Deep” by The Stranglers
From the album Aural Sculpture (1984)
“Skin Deep” by The Stranglers appears on 12 radio countdowns from 5 stations between 1988 and 2023. It was first released in 1984 on the album Aural Sculpture. Its best result is #121 on the Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,987 alternative song of all time.
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Video from YouTube (TheStranglers). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Skin Deep" was the lead single from the Stranglers' 1984 album Aural Sculpture, and it put the band back in the UK top 20 after the two singles from Feline had stalled well short of it. Jet Black, Jean-Jacques Burnel, Hugh Cornwell and Dave Greenfield share the writing credit, and they produced it with Laurie Latham.
It's sleek and seductive: a shimmering, melodic pop song that glides along on a cool, glassy surface. It also made No. 11 in Australia and Ireland. The video cuts the band's performance with a snake sliding over a body and the members peeling off masks, ending on the sculpture from the album cover.
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 | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | 423 | Live 105 | Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988) | 501 |
| 1989 | 336 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) | 500 |
| 1990 | 272 | Live 105 | Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1990) | 299 |
| 1991 | 338 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) | 500 |
| 1991 | 326 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
| 1994 | 367 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994) | 500 |
| 1996 | 343 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996) | 498 |
| 1999 | 434 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) | 500 |
| 1999 | 390 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) | 1002 |
| 2002 | 632 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 121 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2023 | 315 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s | 850 |
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