"Jailbreak" is a song by

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their 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 som ...

that originally appeared as the title track on their 1976 album '' Jailbreak''. Along with "

The Boys Are Back in Town "The Boys Are Back in Town" is a song by Irish hard rock band Thin Lizzy. The song was originally released in 1976 as the first single from their album ''Jailbreak''. It is considered by ''Rolling Stone'' to be the band's best song, placing it a ...

", it is one of their most popular songs, played frequently on

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

radio. The song is typical of the band's music, with the dual lead guitar harmony and Brian Robertson's use of the

wah-wah pedal A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of electric guitar effects pedal that alters the tone and frequencies of the guitar signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The ped ...

Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish singer, bassist, and songwriter. His most commercially successful group was Thin Lizzy, of which he was a founding member, the principal songwriter, lead vocalist and ba ...

's lyrics about a prison break are the typical personification of the "tough guys", also seen in "The Boys Are Back in Town" and the regular concert closer and fan favourite " The Rocker". An alternate version of the song appeared on the bonus disc of the 2011 remastered deluxe edition of the ''Jailbreak'' album, featuring a short spoken introduction and additional guitar parts throughout.

Charts

Use in media

In December 2008, the song was named the 73rd best hard rock song of all time by VH1. "Jailbreak" is used in the films ''

Detroit Rock City "Detroit Rock City" is a song by the American hard rock group Kiss, released on their 1976 album ''Destroyer''. The song was written by Paul Stanley and producer Bob Ezrin. The song is one of the band's most popular and is a classic rock staple ...

'', ''

Joe Dirt ''Joe Dirt'' is a 2001 American adventure comedy film, directed by Dennie Gordon (in her feature film directorial debut), starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Adam Beach, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Eri ...

'', '' Bordello of Blood'', and ''

Gracie Gracie may refer to: Names * Gracie (name), a given name and a family name (includes a list of people with that name) * Gracie family, a Brazilian family known for their practice and development of martial arts * Hurricane Gracie, a 1959 Atlantic ...

''. and was also used in the ''

Veronica Mars ''Veronica Mars'' is an American teen noir mystery drama television series created by screenwriter Rob Thomas. The series is set in the fictional town of Neptune, California, and stars Kristen Bell as the eponymous character. The series prem ...

'' episode " Ahoy, Mateys!" and on the MTV show '' Jackass''. In 2008, an edited version was featured in a TV commercial for

Miller Lite Miller Lite is a 4.2% ABV light American lager beer sold by Molson Coors (previously MillerCoors) of Chicago, Illinois. The company also produces Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life. Miller Lite competes mainly with Anheuser-Busch' ...

beer as well as '' MLB 08: The Show''. "Jailbreak" is featured in the 2008 video game ''

Grand Theft Auto IV ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the e ...

'' on the radio station Liberty Rock Radio 97.8. On 3 February 2009, a live version of the song (from the '' Still Dangerous'' live album) was released as download content for the ''

Rock Band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...

'' series as part of a Thin Lizzy pack (which also contained versions of "

" and " Cowboy Song" from the same album). The 1976 master of the song is featured in the video game ''

Guitar Hero 5 ''Guitar Hero 5'' (initially referred to as ''Guitar Hero V'') is a 2009 music rhythm video game developed by Neversoft and published by Activision. It is the fifth main installment in the ''Guitar Hero'' series. The game was released internat ...

''.. The song is used in "

Late Editions "Late Editions" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the HBO original series ''The Wire'', the penultimate episode of the series. The episode was written by George Pelecanos from a story by David Simon and George Pelecanos and was direct ...

", the ninth episode of the fifth season of the television program ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...

''.

Cover versions

* The Minnesota-based glam metal band Slave Raider covered the song on their second album, ''What Do You Know About Rock 'N Roll?'', in 1988. *

Master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

covered the song on their album '' Collection of Souls'' in 1993. * A live cover of the song by

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He ...

was also used as the b-side to "Queen of New Orleans" in 1997. *

Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu () is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, com ...

covered the song as their contribution to a split 7-inch with

Fatso Jetson Fatso Jetson is an American desert rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1994 by Yawning Man members Mario Lalli and Larry Lalli, along with Tony Tornay. They are often credited as the fathers of the desert strain of stoner rock l ...

in 1998. It was added to Godzilla's/Eatin' Dust re-issue in 2019. * American

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

band Six Feet Under covered the song on their ''

Maximum Violence ''Maximum Violence'' is American death metal band Six Feet Under's 3rd studio album. The album goes back to Chris Barnes' roots in Cannibal Corpse with violent themes/lyrics. It was also the first Six Feet Under album to feature Steve Swans ...

'' album in 1999. *

Blue Öyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult ( ; sometimes abbreviated BÖC or BOC) is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967, and best known for the singles "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Burnin' for You", and "Godzilla". The band h ...

covered the song live (featuring guitarist Al Pitrelli) in 1999. * Supersuckers performed it on their 2004 live album ''Live at The Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI'' * Gary Moore played the song in the 2005 festival One Night in Dublin which was later released in 2006. *

Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...

recorded it for their 2007 album ''

The Meanest of Times ''The Meanest of Times'' is the sixth studio album by Dropkick Murphys. It was released on September 18, 2007, by their new vanity label, Born & Bred Records, a division of Cooking Vinyl Records. Their previous albums were released by Hellcat Rec ...

'', as a bonus track. * "Jailbreak" is sampled heavily in the 2008 Girl Talk song "Don't Stop." *

Grave Digger A gravedigger is a cemetery worker who is responsible for digging a grave prior to a funeral service. Description If the grave is in a cemetery on the property of a church or other religious organization (part of, or called, a churchyard), ...

released cover on their EP ''Ballads of a Hangman'' in 2009. * Anthrax covered the song on their 2013 EP '' Anthems''. *

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

covered the song with Scott Gorham as a special guest during Europe's 30th anniversary concert at Sweden Rock Festival in 2013, a concert which was released on DVD and Blu-ray.

Personnel

– bass guitar, vocals, acoustic guitar *

Scott Gorham William Scott Gorham (born March 17, 1951) is an American guitarist and songwriter who is one of the "twin lead guitarists" for the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. Although not a founding member of Thin Lizzy, he served a continuous membership afte ...

– lead and rhythm guitars * Brian Robertson – lead and rhythm guitars * Brian Downey – drums, percussion

References

External links

* {{authority control Thin Lizzy songs 1976 songs Songs about prison Songs written by Phil Lynott Vertigo Records singles 1976 singles