Teenage Kicks

For other uses, see Teenage Kicks (disambiguation).

"Teenage Kicks"
Single by The Undertones
from the album The Undertones
B-side	"True Confessions"
Released	21 October 1978
Recorded	15 June 1978, Wizard Studios (Belfast) [1]
Genre	Punk rock [2] pop punk [3] power pop [4] new wave [5]
Length	2:28
Label	Sire
Songwriter(s)	J. J. O'Neill
The Undertones singles chronology
"Teenage Kicks" (1978) "Get Over You" (1979)

Teenage Kicks
EP by The Undertones
Released	September 1978 (1978-09)
Recorded	15 June 1978
Studio	Wizard Studios (Belfast)
Length	7:51
Label	Good Vibrations Sire
Producer	Davy Shannon
Alternative cover
Fold-out of sleeve of original Good Vibrations release of Teenage Kicks EP

Side one

No.	Title	Written by	Length
1.	"Teenage Kicks"	J. J. O'Neill	2:26
2.	"True Confessions"	J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Damian O'Neill	1:53

Side two

No.	Title	Written by	Length
1.	"Smarter Than U"	J. J. O'Neill, Michael Bradley, Billy Doherty	1:36
2.	"Emergency Cases"	J. J. O'Neill	1:56

Charts

Chart (1978) Peak position UK (Official Charts Company) [7] 31 Chart (1983) Peak position UK (Official Charts Company) [7] 60

Chart (2008) Peak position France (SNEP) [22] 76 Chart (2009) Peak position France (SNEP) [22] 95

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [23]	Platinum	600,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Covers

• "Teenage Kicks" was acoustically covered by Snow Patrol in a tribute to John Peel, and was played at his funeral.
• The Swedish rockabilly band The Go Getters included a cover of "Teenage Kicks" on their 2003 album "Motormouth". ^[24]
• Busted covered "Teenage Kicks" on their second album A Present for Everyone released on 17 November 2003.
• All-male pop group One Direction covered "Teenage Kicks" (in a medley with Blondie's single "One Way or Another") for the 2013 Comic Relief single "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)". ^[25]
• The Waco Brothers covered "Teenage Kicks" on their 2023 album The Men That God Forgot.

Notes

1. This mural was removed in 2013. ^[18] However, following a public outcry, the mural was reinstated in March 2015. ^[19]

References

1. Teenage Kicks: My Life as an Undertone ISBN   978-1-78558-180-9 p. 60
2. Eileen (1 July 2013). "News: Controversial Removal of "Teenage Kicks" Graffiti Piece in Ireland". 12ozPROPHET. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2013. The 'Teenage Kicks' mural was a reference to the 1978 punk rock song by the Undertones,
3. Claps, Andy. "Teenage Kicks - The Undertones | Song Info". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 15 July 2013. It is now widely acknowledged as a classic -- a pop-punk standard that continues to point the way for countless bands on both sides of the Atlantic.
4. Runtagh, Jordan (8 April 2014). "Catchy, Loud and Proud: 20 Essential Power Pop Tracks That Will Be Stuck In Your Head Forever". VH1 . Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 29 July 2016.
5. Ross, Graeme (7 June 2018). "Playlist: 10 best new wave singles of 1978" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 2022-05-26.
6. The Undertones.com. "Singles-Historical". Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
7. "Undertones". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
8. "Official Singles Chart Top 40: 29 October 1978 - 04 November 1978". officialcharts.com. 29 May 2011. Archived from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
9. Cavanagh, David (2015). Good Night and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Life. London: Faber & Faber Ltd. ISBN   978-0-571-30248-2.
10. "John Peel Gets Teenage Kicks Epitaph". The Telegraph. 13 February 2008. Archived from the original on 21 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
11. Brookover, Sophie (9 October 2022). "Derry Girls Recap: Teenage Kicks". Vulture. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
12. Poniewozik, James (6 October 2022). "'Derry Girls': And Now Their Troubles Are Ended". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
13. "John Peel on the Undertones". The Guardian. November 2, 2001. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
14. "John Peel gets Teenage Kicks epitaph". Telegraph.co.uk. 13 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2018-03-16. Retrieved 2018-04-04.
15. "So hard to beat". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. 2 November 2001. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
16. "DJ Peel's song sets the tone for gravestone". Edp24.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 June 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
17. "John "John Peel" Peel (1939-2004) - Find a Grave..." Findagrave.com. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
18. "Teenage Kicks lyrics mural removed from Belfast flyover". BBC.co.uk. 21 June 2013. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
19. "Mural returns without Peel tribute". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2021-02-27. Retrieved 2021-05-27.
20. "Teenage Kicks: The Undertones (2001)". IMDb. 18 January 2015. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
21. "Here Comes The Summer : The Undertones Story". Bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
22. "The Undertones – Teenage Kicks" (in French). Les classement single.
23. "British single certifications – Undertones – Teenage Kicks". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 17 October 2024.
24. "Teenage Kicks by the Go Getters". SecondHandSongs.
25. Richard James (9 December 2012). "One Direction to record Red Nose Day 2013 single - Metro News". Metro. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2015.

External links

• 2016 Guardian news article describing Michael Bradley's recollections of the writing and recording of the "Teenage Kicks" EP
• Contemporary article detailing the recording process of the "Teenage Kicks" EP
• The Undertones' official website