The Boys Are Back In Town

Album

Jailbreak

Label

Mercury Records

Genre

Hard rock

Composer(s)

Phil Lynott

Entered Chart

May 15, 1976

Peak Date

Jul 24, 1976

Released

April 1976

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

Mercury 73786

B-Side

Jailbreak

Written by group leader Phil Lynott, "The Boys Are Back In Town" reflects Thin Lizzy's rough-and-tumble composure and working-class roots. The song was a way of connecting with their fans, who had similar sensibilities. Thin Lizzy would often stir up trouble and end up in fights - their roadies were chosen based in part on their pugilistic skills. The group also drank heavily and had a blast. The song became their calling card. This lifestyle took a tragic toll on Lynott, who died in 1986 at 36 after his body broke down from years of drug and alcohol abuse. This was a pivotal song for Thin Lizzy, which was on their last legs when it became a hit. In 1972, they had a huge hit in their native Ireland with their version of "Whiskey In The Jar," but weren't able to follow it up and couldn't make a dent in America. They were in debt and their label, Phonogram, was ready to drop them if they didn't get return from the Jailbreak album. "The Boys Are Back In Town," released as the first single, gave them the hit they needed and established them in America, a huge market for rock bands. With this footing, their next few albums were solid sellers, especially in the UK, and they expanded their range as a live act. Folks in Manchester, England, will tell you "The Boys Are Back In Town" is about the Quality Street Gang, a criminal enterprise not unlike the Mafia. Phil Lynott spent much of his youth in Manchester, where his mom ran a club called the Showbiz. The QSG would often hang out there, always "dressed to kill" (they were so named because of their fashion sense). A key member of the gang was Jimmy "The Weed" Donnelly, the subject of a song on Thin Lizzy's next album called "Johnny The Fox Meets Jimmy The Weed." The Dino's Bar And Grill mentioned in the song is probably a real place, but which one is up for debate. Deno's was a Manchester nightclub the Quality Street Gang would frequent; Dino's Lodge was a Hollywood cabaret with a Dean Martin theme (Martin was a business partner). It shows up in the opening credits of the TV series 77 Sunset Strip. Drink would flow at both establishments, but if you're looking for a place where blood would spill, it was definitely Deno's. This has been used in a number of TV commercials over the years, including spots for Wrangler, Chase credit cards, and Applebee's. Everclear covered this for the 1999 film Detroit Rock City. Their version was later used in the movie A Knight's Tale. >> "The Boys Are Back In Town" plays in four episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. It also shows up in these TV series: The Simpsons ("Singin' in the Lane" - 2017) Supernatural ("Book of the Damned" - 2015) Hawaii Five-0 ("Kuka'awale" - 2015) Cougar Town ("All the Wrong Reasons" - 2010) And in these movies: The Expendables (2010) Things to Do Before You're 30 (2005) Trojan War (1997) Navy Seals (1990) Thin Lizzy were surprised when this became their breakthrough hit – because they hadn't wanted it on their Jailbreak album. Guitarist Scott Gorham recalled to Classic Rock: "We were playing in some club in the US when our manager came in and said, 'Well, looks like we've got a hit.' We were like, 'Which song?' Seriously, we didn't have any idea at all which song it was that had taken off for us." "To tell you the truth, we weren't initially going to put 'The Boys Are Back In Town' on the Jailbreak album at all," he continued. "Back then you picked 10 songs and went with those because of the time restrictions of vinyl." "We recorded 15 songs, and of the 10 we picked, that wasn't one of them," Gorham added. "But then the management heard it and said, 'No, there's something really good about this song.' Although back then, it didn't yet have the twin guitar parts on it."

Guess who just got back today
Them wild-eyed boys that had been away
Haven't changed, had much to say
But man, I still think them cats are crazy
They were askin' if you were around
How you was, where you could be found
Told them you were livin' downtown
Drivin' all the old men crazy

The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town
I said, the boys are back in town, the boys are back in town
The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town
The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town

You know that chick that used to dance a lot
Every night, she'd be on the floor, shakin' what she'd got
Man, when I tell you she was cool, she was red hot
I mean, she was steamin'
And that time over at Johnny's place
Well, this chick got up and she slapped Johnny's face
Man, we just fell about the place
If that chick don't want to know, forget her

The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town
I said, the boys are back in town, the boys are back in town
The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town
The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town

Spread the word around
Guess who's back in town?
You spread the word around

Friday night, they'll be dressed to kill
Down at Dino's Bar 'n' Grill
The drink will flow and blood will spill
And if the boys want to fight, you better let 'em
That jukebox in the corner blastin' out my favorite song
The nights are getting warmer, it won't be long
Won't be long 'til the summer comes
Now that the boys are here again

The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town
The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town
The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town
The boys are back in town, the boys are back in town
(The boys are back, the boys are back)

The boys are back in town again
Been hangin' down at Dino's
The boys are back in town again