Blag, Steal & Borrow (song)

"Blag, Steal & Borrow"
Single by Koopa
from the album Blag, Steal & Borrow
Released	8 January 2007
Recorded	2006
Genre	Punk rock
Koopa singles chronology
"Three in a Bed with Bobby George" (2006) "Blag, Steal & Borrow" (2007) "One Off Song for the Summer" (2007)

"Blag, Steal & Borrow" is the fourth single by English punk band Koopa. It was released as a download-only single on 8 January 2007. ^[1] It became the first single released by Koopa to reach the UK top 40, charting at number 31. ^[2]

The song was the first single to reach the UK's chart without being released on any traditional 'physical' format. ^[2] This occurred after a change in chart rules a week previously, which meant that all legally downloaded singles would be eligible to chart. ^[3] The single's success led to speculation as to whether it represented the first in a new trend of bands charting without getting a deal with a record company. ^[2]

References

1. Koopa - Blag, Steal & Borrow Archived September 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine 7Digital.com; Accessed 18-01-2007
2. A blag or a steal? New rules put unsigned punk band in top 40 Gibson, Owen; The Guardian ; 16-01-2007; Accessed 18-01-2007
3. Trenholm, Richard (April 1, 2015). "From wax cylinders to Auto-Tune: The technology that changed music". CNET. Retrieved 2025-11-15. The first song to chart without ever being physically released was "Blag, Steal and Borrow" by unsigned Colchester punk band Koopa (pictured), reaching number 31 the week after the rules changed. Before the end of the year Koopa did it twice more, even breaking into the top 20 with "The Crash".