Thin Lizzy, The Boys Are Back In Town | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the 30^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2026), we highlight “The Boys Are Back In Town” by Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. 

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy 💯! On 1 Hit WONDERful, we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  It is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, that ONE hit earned them recognition. So, in the 30^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful (2026), we dive into “The Boys Are Back In Town”, the one-hit wonder by Thin Lizzy.

Does this song need any introduction? Nope! Irish rock band Thin Lizzy are best-known for their once-in-a-lifetime hit, “The Boys Are Back In Town”.  “The Boys Are Back In Town” is the sixth track from their sixth studio album, Jailbreak. At the time, Thin Lizzy was composed of vocalist and bassist Phil Lynott (1949 – 1986), guitarist Scott Gorham, guitarist Brian Robertson, and drummer/percussionist Brian Downey. In the United States, the band charted twice on the pop charts.  Only “Boys” landed in the top 40, reaching number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Therefore, in the United States, they are classified as a one-hit wonder.  They had more success beyond the states, however. Lynott wrote “The Boys Are Back In Town” while John Alcock produced it.

“Guess who just got back today? / Them wild-eyed boys that’d been away.” Ooh-wee! Phil Lynott brings plenty of personality and spirit to “The Boys Are Back In Town.” His voice sounds commanding, bringing the rhythmic, tuneful melodies and memorable lyrics to life. There are memories galore, including “That chick… she was cool, she was red hot.” Perhaps even more memorable, in the second verse, is “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.” I bet that was a big ole LOL 😂! A third and final verse brings more fun, where it “Won’t be long till summer comes / Now that the boys are here again.” Absolutely!  Of course, the most fun part of “The Boys Are Back In Town” is the chorus, which is the earworm of all earworms, excerpted earlier.  It’s not all Phil’s singing and lyrics, though! The band also keeps the same energy, with their hard-rocking riffs and dynamic sounds galore.  They bring some serious punch and solidify those summery vibes for any time of the year.  One iconic instrumental moment can’t be neglected: the guitar solo by Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson 🎸 🤘. No further analysis is necessary. The excellence of “The Boys Are Back In Town” speaks for itself!

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Thin Lizzy » Jailbreak » Mercury Records Limited » 1976

Thin Lizzy, The Boys Are Back In Town: 1 Hit WONDERful No. 30 (2026) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Mercury Records Limited; Alexa Popovich, cottonbro studio, ds rexy, Thomas Ronveaux from Pexels; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Gordon Johnson from Pixabay]

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