Canada number one for ‘Rock Lobster’

The re-recorded version of “Rock Lobster” was also released as a single, and in the UK and Germany, it was backed with an instrumental version of “Running Around”, a nonalbum track at the time. (A vocal re-recording of this appears on the band’s second album, 1980’s Wild Planet .) The buzz the record created in the UK meant their first show in London at the Electric Ballroom was packed and attended by UK pop stars, including Sandie Shaw , Green Gartside from Scritti Politti , and Joe Jackson . In Canada, released on the Warner Bros. label, the single went from cult hit to number one on the RPM -compiled national chart on May 24, 1980. John Lennon credited the song with inspiring his return to writing music.