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The Vapors

Band Guildford United Kingdom Formed 1979

The Vapors formed in 1979 in Guildford, United Kingdom. The Vapors has 52 chart appearances on 52 radio countdowns from 14 stations on RockLists, spanning 1980–2026. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Turning Japanese”, which appears on 52 lists with a best position of #14. The station that charted The Vapors most often is CD101 (Columbus, OH), with 14 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1980.

52appearances
52countdowns
1songs charted
14stations
0#1 finishes
1980–2026years

The Vapors came out of Guildford playing sharp, clean new wave with a power-pop heart, and they got one shot at the big time and took it. "Turning Japanese", from the 1980 album New Clear Days, is all nervy, clipped guitar, a stuttering hook you could hum after one listen and a chorus that everybody in the room could shout back. The lineup counted David Fenton, Edward Bazalgette on guitar, Steve Smith and Howard Smith, and the song has had a long afterlife on rock radio's countdowns.

They reformed in 2016, with Fenton and Bazalgette still in the lineup.

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

Songs by The Vapors on radio countdowns

#SongStrengthListsBest#1sPeak year
1 Turning Japanese
2,786		 52 #14 – 1980

Albums with charting songs

Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.

Every countdown appearance

Year#SongCountdown
2026 174 Turning Japanese WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s
2022 378 Turning Japanese X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time
2014 1242 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2013 1183 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2011 1122 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2010 1085 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2009 1047 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2008 1041 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2007 1095 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2006 451 Turning Japanese KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006)
2006 288 Turning Japanese WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006)
2005 204 Turning Japanese WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005)
2005 784 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2004 784 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2003 139 Turning Japanese WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003)
2003 784 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 273 Turning Japanese Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2002 93 Turning Japanese WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002)
2002 784 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 939 Turning Japanese Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2001 64 Turning Japanese WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001)
2001 784 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 1953 Turning Japanese WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time
2001 426 Turning Japanese WBRU Modern Rock Top 500 (2001)
2000 62 Turning Japanese WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000)
2000 816 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
1999 180 Turning Japanese Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 467 Turning Japanese WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999)
1999 560 Turning Japanese The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 87 Turning Japanese WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999)
1999 765 Turning Japanese CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 128 Turning Japanese CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999)
1999 76 Turning Japanese Channel 104.9 Top 101 Songs of the '80s (February 1999)
1998 103 Turning Japanese KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998)
1996 122 Turning Japanese KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996)
1996 367 Turning Japanese Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996)
1996 91 Turning Japanese WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996)
1995 283 Turning Japanese KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995)
1994 238 Turning Japanese KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994)
1994 289 Turning Japanese Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994)
1994 79 Turning Japanese WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994)
1992 100 Turning Japanese KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992)
1992 210 Turning Japanese Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992)
1991 265 Turning Japanese Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991)
1991 305 Turning Japanese WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991)
1989 119 Turning Japanese KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989)
1989 306 Turning Japanese WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989)
1989 46 Turning Japanese WFNX Top 101 Songs of the Decade (December 1989)
1988 496 Turning Japanese KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988)
1988 86 Turning Japanese Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988)
1980 14 Turning Japanese KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1980
– 136 Turning Japanese WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s

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