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Cover of Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy
Cover: Jailbreak

Song · Thin Lizzy

“Jailbreak” by Thin Lizzy

From the album Jailbreak (1976)

“Jailbreak” by Thin Lizzy appears on 37 radio countdowns from 15 stations between 1982 and 2025. It was first released in 1976 on the album Jailbreak. Its best result is #79 on the 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #346 of the '70s.

37countdowns
15stations
#79best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1982–2025years charted

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Jailbreak

Video from YouTube (Thin Lizzy - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

The title track of Thin Lizzy's 1976 album Jailbreak is a prison-break caper told in Phil Lynott's best tough-guy voice, starring the same swaggering characters who hang around "The Boys Are Back in Town" and "The Rocker". Lynott wrote it, sang it and played bass, with John Alcock producing for Vertigo.

The real stars are the guitars. Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson lock into the twin-lead harmony that's the band's calling card, Robertson stomping on the wah-wah pedal until the riff snarls like a searchlight sweeping the yard, while Brian Downey's drums march the escapees over the wall. It remains one of their most-loved songs and a fixture of classic rock radio, and a 2011 deluxe reissue of the album dug up an alternate take with a short spoken intro and extra guitars.

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

RockLists rankings

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 424 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1990 134 Z-Rock Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) 1000
1994 103 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 151 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 137 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1997 968 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1997 382 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1998 150 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 124 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2002 599 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2002 517 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2004 714 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2010 129 97.9 The Loop The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) 500
2011 308 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2011 603 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 615 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 540 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 404 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 79 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 489 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 164 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 400 (2014) 400
2015 103 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 79 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 621 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2017 539 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2019 863 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 422 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2021 595 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2022 347 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2022 508 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 687 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2023 495 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 392 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 643 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2024 579 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 626 KEXP The Best Opening Tracks of All Time 738
2025 712 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043

Also listed as: Jail Break.

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