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Cover of Private Revolution by World Party
Cover: Private Revolution

Song · World Party

“Ship of Fools” by World Party

From the album Private Revolution (1986)

“Ship of Fools” by World Party appears on 44 radio countdowns from 12 stations between 1987 and 2024. It was first released in 1986 on the album Private Revolution. Its best result is #45 on the 91X Top 91 Songs of 1987. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #158 alternative song of 1987 and #561 alternative song of all time.

44countdowns
12stations
#45best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1987–2024years charted

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World Party - Ship Of Fools

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"Ship of Fools", subtitled "Save Me from Tomorrow", was the second single from Private Revolution, World Party's debut, and at the time World Party meant one man: Karl Wallinger, the former Waterboy and multi-instrumentalist, who wrote and produced it himself. It's a big-hearted, rolling rock song with an environmentalist warning at its core, and the video hammered the point home by superimposing Wallinger and his players over images of a planet in trouble. That green streak landed it on more than a dozen compilations, Greenpeace's Rainbow Warriors among them.

The 12-inch paired a longer version with a cover of the Beatles' "Nowhere Man", alongside "World Groove (Do The Mind Guerrilla)". Wallinger also got to play it on one of the last editions of Whistle Test, drafted in at the last minute when the Smiths pulled out.

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

RockLists rankings

Alternative & Modern Rock

Indie & Adult Alternative

All Rock Formats

Year-end countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1987 45 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana 91X Top 91 Songs of 1987 91

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1989 270 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1989) 495
1989 407 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) 500
1991 401 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) 500
1991 684 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) 1002
1992 172 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1992) 500
1992 204 Live 105 Live 105 Top 300 Songs of All-Time (Memorial Day 1992) 299
1994 450 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1994) 497
1995 476 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1995) 500
1996 345 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1996) 500
1996 312 Q101 Q101 Top 500 Songs of All-Time (1996) 500
1998 331 KROQ KROQ Flashback 500 (Memorial Day 1998) 488
1999 522 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 468 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1999) 500
1999 1345 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
1999 74 CFNY 102.1 The Edge CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (November 1999) 1002
2000 446 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2000) 500
2000 1345 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 444 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2001) 498
2001 1347 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 469 WFPK WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time 2000
2002 335 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2002) 500
2002 1346 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2002 497 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) 2002
2003 451 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2003) 500
2003 1331 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 887 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 1331 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2005 393 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 1331 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2006 426 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2007 374 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 319 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 312 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 324 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 334 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2012 388 WYEP WYEP Top 500 Songs Countdown 500
2013 340 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 345 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2019 153 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2019 153 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2021 655 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '80s 909
2023 734 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 850 Songs of the 1980s 850
2024 369 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049

Also listed as: Ship Of Fools; Ship Of Fools (Save Me From Tomorrow).

Charting alongside it in 1987

Best songs of 1987 →
  1. 1Girlfriend in a ComaThe Smiths
  2. 2With or Without YouU2
  3. 3Dear GodXTC
  4. 4Why Can't I Be You?The Cure
  5. 5StrangeloveDepeche Mode
  6. 6Lips Like SugarEcho and the Bunnymen

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