Destination Unknown (song)

Not to be confused with Destination Calabria.

"Destination Unknown"
Single by Missing Persons
from the album Spring Session M
Released	September 1982
Recorded	1980
Studio	UMRK (Los Angeles)
Genre	Rock [1] new wave [1]
Length	3:40
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Dale Bozzio Terry Bozzio Warren Cuccurullo
Producer(s)	Ken Scott
Missing Persons singles chronology
"Windows" (1982) "Destination Unknown" (1982) "Walking in L.A." (1983)

"Destination Unknown" is a song by American band Missing Persons. It was written by Dale Bozzio, Terry Bozzio, and Warren Cuccurullo with production by Ken Scott at Frank Zappa's Utility Muffin Research Kitchen studio. ^[2] Originally released on the band's self-titled EP (1980), the song was released as a single in September 1982 and appeared on their debut studio album Spring Session M (1982).^{[ citation needed ]}

In the United States, it was a hit, peaking at No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 40 on the Cashbox Top 100 in November 1982. ^{[3] [4]}

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
United States	September 1982	7"	Capitol

Charts

Chart performance for
"Destination Unknown"

Chart (1982–1983)	Peak position
Australia [5]	89
US Billboard Hot 100 [6]	42
US Cash Box Top 100 [7]	40

Cover versions and media appearances

• The Smashing Pumpkins covered the song as one of several B-sides for their single "Bullet with Butterfly Wings". It later appeared on their 1996 box set The Aeroplane Flies High .
• Replicants recorded a cover of this song for their 1995 self-titled album.
• Erectus Monotone covered the song on the 1992 compilation album Tannis Root Presents: Freedom of Choice. ^[8]
• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts covered the song for the soundtrack of the 2009 film Endless Bummer .
• The 1998 Alvin and the Chipmunks album The A-Files: Alien Songs includes a cover of the song by the Chipettes.
• The song is featured in the 2006 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the in-game radio station Flash FM.
• The song is played at the end of "Nothing Shattered", episode 7 of the second season of Netflix series GLOW .
• The song is played in "Poker Night", episode 20 of the eighth season of The Goldbergs .
• The song is played in episode 6 of the second season of Netflix series Sex Education during Otis' party.

References

1. Gerard, Chris (15 April 2024). "The 100 Best Alternative Songs of the 1980s". PopMatters . Retrieved 25 December 2024. It's no accident that ["Destination Unknown"]'s electrifying new wave/rock blend of synthesizers, guitar, bass, and drums blasts emphatically out of speakers...
2. Scott, Ken; Owsinski, Bobby (2013). Off the Record with the Beatles, Bowie, Elton & So Much More. United States: Alfred Music. pp. 305–6. ISBN   978-0-7390-7858-7.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications)
4. "Missing Persons - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
6. "Missing Persons Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
7. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending December 11, 1982". Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 2018-08-26. Cash Box magazine.
8. "Tannis Root Presents: Freedom of Choice - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic . Retrieved 2016-10-26.

External links

• 1980s portal

• Missing Persons – "Destination Unknown" (music video) on YouTube