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Artist · chart history · #268 in alternative artist polls

Wall of Voodoo

Band Los Angeles United States Active 1977–1988 US rock band from L.A.

Wall of Voodoo formed in 1977 in Los Angeles, United States and was active until 1988. Wall of Voodoo has 69 chart appearances on 66 radio countdowns from 18 stations on RockLists, spanning 1981–2023. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Mexican Radio”, which appears on 64 lists with a best position of #9. The station that charted Wall of Voodoo most often is CD101 (Columbus, OH), with 14 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1982.

69appearances
66countdowns
3songs charted
18stations
0#1 finishes
1981–2023years

Wall of Voodoo came out of Los Angeles in 1977 with a sound as dry and dusty as the desert outside town and lyrics full of surreal little stories steeped in the imagery of the American Southwest, all deadpan menace and sideways humor. For years they were strictly an underground concern on I.R.S. Records, with Stan Ridgway, Marc Moreland, Chas T. Gray, Joe Nanini and Bruce Moreland in the early lineup.

The self-titled EP in 1980 had "Ring of Fire", and Dark Continent, in 1981, had "Red Light". Then came Call of the West in 1982 and "Mexican Radio", a feverish, galloping fever dream of a song that caught fire on MTV and alternative radio and has never really gone away. Ridgway was gone by 1983, and Andy Prieboy joined for the rest of the band's run.

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

Songs by Wall of Voodoo on radio countdowns

#SongStrengthListsBest#1sPeak year
1 Mexican Radio#474 of all time
4,012		 64 #9 – 1982
2 Ring of Fire
182		 3 #138 – –
3 Red Light
48		 1 #56 – 1981

Albums with charting songs

Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.

Year-end chart timeline

Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.

81 82

Every countdown appearance

Year#SongCountdown
2023 46 Mexican Radio 91X Top 91 Songs of The Last 40 Years
2023 474 Mexican Radio The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s
2023 414 Mexican Radio The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places
2022 193 Mexican Radio X96 Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time
2022 400 Mexican Radio The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Colorado Sound Songs of All Time
2021 450 Mexican Radio 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s
2014 734 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014)
2013 698 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013)
2011 673 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011)
2010 653 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010)
2009 633 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009)
2008 490 Mexican Radio KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2008)
2008 615 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008)
2007 649 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007)
2006 231 Mexican Radio KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 2006)
2006 307 Mexican Radio Live 105 500 Co-Op Countdown (Memorial Day 2006)
2006 185 Mexican Radio WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006)
2006 69 Mexican Radio The End Top 107 Resurrection Songs (December 2006)
2005 186 Mexican Radio WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005)
2005 241 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005)
2005 757 Mexican Radio 99X Freedom of Choice 1000 (2005)
2005 47 Mexican Radio 96.5 The Buzz Top 96 of the 70s & 80s
2004 161 Mexican Radio Q101 Top 300 Party Songs of All-Time (July 2004)
2004 102 Mexican Radio The End Original Alternative 500 (May 2004)
2004 240 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004)
2003 162 Mexican Radio WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003)
2003 242 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003)
2003 66 Mexican Radio Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2003 1054 Ring of Fire Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003)
2002 86 Mexican Radio WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002)
2002 242 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002)
2002 49 Mexican Radio Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002)
2001 78 Mexican Radio WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001)
2001 242 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001)
2001 1850 Mexican Radio WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time
2000 76 Mexican Radio WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000)
2000 242 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000)
1999 244 Mexican Radio 91X Fat 500 Songs of All-Time (July 1999)
1999 429 Mexican Radio WFNX Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999)
1999 878 Mexican Radio The End Top 1077 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 49 Mexican Radio WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999)
1999 242 Mexican Radio CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999)
1999 145 Mexican Radio CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999)
1999 50 Mexican Radio Channel 104.9 Top 101 Songs of the '80s (February 1999)
1998 9 Mexican Radio KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998)
1996 113 Mexican Radio KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996)
1996 261 Mexican Radio Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996)
1996 10 Mexican Radio WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1996)
1995 124 Mexican Radio KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995)
1994 112 Mexican Radio KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994)
1994 138 Ring of Fire KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994)
1994 54 Mexican Radio Live 105 Revolutionary 500 (July 1994)
1994 13 Mexican Radio WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1994)
1992 94 Mexican Radio KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992)
1992 19 Mexican Radio Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992)
1991 224 Mexican Radio Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1991)
1991 304 Mexican Radio WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991)
1991 709 Mexican Radio CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition)
1989 286 Mexican Radio KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989)
1989 310 Mexican Radio WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989)
1989 57 Mexican Radio 91X Top 191 Songs of the 1980s (1989)
1989 85 Artist ranking Live 105 Top 105 Artists of All-Time (1989)
1988 97 Mexican Radio KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988)
1988 196 Ring of Fire KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1988)
1988 126 Mexican Radio Live 105 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1988)
1988 177 Mexican Radio WLIR Top 200 Songs of All-Time (1988)
1982 44 Mexican Radio KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1982
1981 56 Red Light KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981
– 200 Mexican Radio WLIR Top 200 Songs of the 1980s

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