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The Tubes
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Artist · chart history

The Tubes

Band Phoenix United States Formed 1972

The Tubes formed in 1972 in Phoenix, United States. The Tubes has 68 chart appearances on 48 radio countdowns from 20 stations on RockLists, spanning 1982–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “She's A Beauty”, which appears on 26 lists with a best position of #229. The station that charted The Tubes most often is CD101 (Columbus, OH), with 21 appearances.

68appearances
48countdowns
6songs charted
20stations
0#1 finishes
1982–2026years

The Tubes came out of Phoenix and set up shop in San Francisco, and the self-titled debut they cut for A&M in 1975 announced them with a sneer: "White Punks on Dope", a title nobody forgot, delivered at full hard-rock tilt, backed by the deadpan question of "What Do You Want From Life?". Nobody else sounded quite this pleased with their own nerve.

Remote Control in 1979 brought "T.V. Is King" and "Turn Me On", and by the early '80s the band had sharpened into something sleeker. They even landed in the 1980 film Xanadu, handling the rock half of the song "Dancin'" in a face-off with a big band. The Completion Backward Principle gave them "Talk to Ya Later" in 1981, and Outside Inside brought "She's a Beauty" in 1983, a slick top-10 U.S. hit whose video was all over MTV in the channel's early years.

The lineup has run through Fee Waybill, Prairie Prince, Roger Steen, Rick Anderson and Michael Cotten, with Bill Spooner, Vince Welnick and Re Styles among those who passed through.

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

Songs by The Tubes on radio countdowns

#SongStrengthListsBest#1sPeak year
1 She's A Beauty
793		 26 #229 – –
2 White Punks On Dope
304		 19 #905 – –
3 Talk To Ya Later
247		 14 #423 – –
4 What Do You Want From Life?
91		 7 #1729 – –
5 T.V. Is King
24		 1 #1545 – –
6 Turn me on
4		 1 #1970 – –

Albums with charting songs

Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.

Every countdown appearance

Year#SongCountdown
2026 467 She's A Beauty KSHE 95 U-Man 500 (2026)
2024 373 She's A Beauty KQRS KQ 500 (2024)
2024 458 Talk To Ya Later KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024)
2023 423 Talk To Ya Later KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023)
2023 449 She's A Beauty 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023)
2023 567 She's A Beauty WPDH Top 1015 (2023)
2023 387 She's A Beauty The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s
2022 287 She's A Beauty 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2022)
2022 402 She's A Beauty River 500 (2022)
2022 428 She's A Beauty Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022)
2022 598 She's A Beauty KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022)
2021 352 She's A Beauty WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021)
2021 484 She's A Beauty 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s
2019 422 She's A Beauty BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019)
2019 496 She's A Beauty DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019)
2019 674 She's A Beauty KZOK Top 1025 of 2019
2016 233 She's A Beauty The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016)
2016 459 She's A Beauty 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016)
2016 668 She's A Beauty 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016
2016 881 Talk To Ya Later 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016
2015 806 She's A Beauty 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015)
2015 973 Talk To Ya Later 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015)
2014 1774 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2014 616 She's A Beauty BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014)
2014 818 She's A Beauty 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014)
2014 935 Talk To Ya Later 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014)
2013 1704 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2013 799 She's A Beauty 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013)
2013 964 Talk To Ya Later 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013)
2012 229 She's A Beauty BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012)
2012 1156 She's A Beauty 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012)
2011 1637 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2011 964 She's A Beauty 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011)
2010 1571 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2009 1540 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2008 1539 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2007 1608 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2005 1690 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2005 1731 What Do You Want From Life? CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2004 1690 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2004 1729 What Do You Want From Life? CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2003 1690 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 1729 What Do You Want From Life? CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 838 She's A Beauty Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1426 Talk To Ya Later Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1545 T.V. Is King Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1707 White Punks On Dope Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1970 Turn me on Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2002 1705 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 1746 What Do You Want From Life? CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 616 She's A Beauty Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 797 Talk To Ya Later Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2002 1493 White Punks On Dope Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2001 1713 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 1757 What Do You Want From Life? CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2000 1713 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
2000 1757 What Do You Want From Life? CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
1999 1713 White Punks On Dope CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 1757 What Do You Want From Life? CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 745 Talk To Ya Later KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999)
1998 786 Talk To Ya Later KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998)
1996 736 Talk To Ya Later KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996)
1996 946 White Punks On Dope KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996)
1995 844 Talk To Ya Later KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995)
1995 905 White Punks On Dope KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995)
1994 885 Talk To Ya Later KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994)
1994 936 White Punks On Dope KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994)
1982 478 Talk To Ya Later KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982)

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