Rat Trap

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"Rat Trap"
Single by The Boomtown Rats
from the album A Tonic for the Troops
B-side	"So Strange"
Released	October 14, 1978 (UK)
Format	7" vinyl
Genre	Punk Rock, New Wave, Glam rock
Length	4:55
Label	Ensign Records(UK) Columbia Records(USA)
Writer(s)	Bob Geldof [1]
Producer	Robert John "Mutt" Lange
The Boomtown Rats singles chronology
"Like Clockwork" (1978) "Rat Trap" (1978) "I Don't Like Mondays" (1979)

"Rat Trap" was a single by The Boomtown Rats which reached #1 in the UK singles chart for two weeks in November 1978, the first single by a punk or new wave act to do so. It is a rock ballad telling the tale of a boy called Billy who feels the depressing town he lives in (presumably Dublin) is a "Rat Trap".

It was also famous for finally replacing "Summer Nights", a hit single from the soundtrack of Grease, after it had spent seven weeks at the top of the UK charts. When the band performed the song on Top of the Pops (which is also mentioned in the song), the band members began by tearing up pictures of Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta to loud cheers from the audience.

In the music video, various members of the band are seen reading copies of the novel "Rat Trap" by Welsh author Craig Thomas, although the book has no connection to the song, a further sign of the band's sense of humour.

One of the more popular Boomtown Rats songs, it was performed by them at Live Aid and is still performed by Geldof to this day.

In 1996 Geldof recorded a self-mocking cover version of the song with Dustin The Turkey.

Personnel

• Bob Geldof – vocals, saxophone
• Pete Briquette – bass, vocals
• Gerry Cott – guitar
• Johnnie Fingers – keyboards, vocals
• Simon Crowe – drums, vocals
• Garry Roberts – guitar, vocals

References