This article needs additional citations for verification .(May 2021) |
"Killer on the Loose" | |
---|---|
Single by Thin Lizzy | |
from the album Chinatown | |
B-side | "Don't Play Around" |
Released | September 1980 |
Recorded | 1980 |
Genre | |
Length | 3:55 |
Label | Vertigo |
Songwriter(s) | Phil Lynott |
Producer(s) | Kit Woolven and Thin Lizzy |
"Killer on the Loose" is a song by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, released as a single in September 1980. It was written by Phil Lynott, and is from their 1980 album Chinatown . [2] The song was a chart hit, peaking at No. 10 on the UK Singles Chart, [3] and No. 5 on the Irish Singles Chart.
The song, in which Lynott took the persona of Jack the Ripper, received much controversy. The single was released amidst the Yorkshire Ripper murders and many members of the British public, largely women, were outraged by the song's lyrics and its references to the Ripper. [4] A music video, in which Lynott is dressed in a Ripper style trench coat surrounded by scantily clad women, generated even more controversy when it was released in 1980.[ citation needed ]
Chart (1980) | Peak position |
---|---|
Ireland (IRMA) [5] | 5 |
UK Singles (OCC) [6] | 10 |
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Thin Lizzy initially consisted of bass guitarist, lead vocalist and principal songwriter Phil Lynott, drummer Brian Downey, guitarist Eric Bell and organist Eric Wrixon, although Wrixon left after a few months. Bell left at the end of 1973 and was briefly replaced by Gary Moore, who himself was replaced in mid-1974 by twin lead guitarists: Scott Gorham, who remained with the band until their break-up in 1983, and Brian Robertson, who remained with the band until 1978 when Moore re-joined. Moore left a second time and was replaced by Snowy White in 1980, who was himself replaced by John Sykes in 1982. The line-up was augmented by keyboardist Darren Wharton in 1980. The singles "Whiskey in the Jar" (1972), "The Boys Are Back in Town" (1976) and "Waiting for an Alibi" (1979) were international hits, and several Thin Lizzy albums reached the top ten in the UK. The band's music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or sometimes heavy metal.
Philip Parris Lynott was an Irish musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, bassist, and primary songwriter for the hard rock band Thin Lizzy. He was known for his distinctive pick-based style on the bass and for his imaginative lyrical contributions, including working class tales and numerous characters drawn from personal influences and Celtic culture.
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