Lookin' After No. 1

"Lookin' After No. 1" is the first single by The Boomtown Rats. It appears on their first album The Boomtown Rats. The single was released in August 1977 after the band had performed a five date tour supporting Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. "Lookin' After No. 1" was the first so-called new wave single to be play listed by the BBC and the Boomtown Rats subsequently became the first new wave band to be offered an appearance on Top of the Pops performing the song.[2] The song reached number 2 on the Irish Singles Chart and spent nine weeks in the UK Singles Chart reaching a peak of number 11.[3] Different covers were produced for releases in the Netherlands and Japan.[2] Reviewer David Clancy described the song as having a "breakneck sneering selfishness".[4]

"Lookin' After No. 1"
Single by The Boomtown Rats
from the album The Boomtown Rats
B-side"Born to Burn" and "Barefootin" (live)[1]
ReleasedAugust 1977 (UK)[1]
GenrePunk rock, new wave
Length3:10
LabelEnsign Records (UK)[1]
Mercury Records (US)
Songwriter(s)Bob Geldof (and Robert Parker for "Barefootin'")[1]
The Boomtown Rats singles chronology
"Lookin' After No. 1"
(1977)		 "Mary of the 4th Form"
(1977)
Audio
"Lookin' After No. 1" on YouTube

The single was the first of ten consecutive single releases by The Boomtown Rats to reach the Top 40 in the UK chart.[3][5]

Before the band's break-up in 1986, they played "Lookin' After No. 1" as the last song of their final performance, part of the Self Aid Irish fundraiser.

Personnel

References
  1. "Boomtown Rats, The - Lookin' After No. 1 (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  2. "The Boomtown Rats Discography". Boomtownrats.co.uk. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 71. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  4. "Album review". The Boomtown Rats. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  5. William Ruhlmann. "The Boomtown Rats | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
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