music.wikisort.org - Composition

"Banana Republic" was the first single from The Boomtown Rats' album Mondo Bongo.[1] It peaked at number three in the UK Singles Chart.[5]

"Banana Republic"
Single by The Boomtown Rats
from the album Mondo Bongo[1]
B-side	"Man at the Top"[2]
Released	14 November 1980 [3]
Genre	New wave, reggae[4]
Length	3:24 (album version 5:01)
Label	Ensign Records (UK)[2] Columbia Records (USA)
Songwriter(s)	Pete Briquette, Bob Geldof[2]
Producer(s)	Tony Visconti[2]
The Boomtown Rats singles chronology
"Someone's Looking at You" (1980) "Banana Republic" (1980) "Up All Night" (1981)

Breaking from the band's previous new wave sound, the song opens with a ska-reggae hook (that repeats at the close of the much longer album version).[6] However, the song itself is a more mainstream piece musically. The 'banana republic' which the song describes is actually a deliberately scathing portrait of the Republic of Ireland, the band's country of origin, and was written in response to the band being banned from performing there.[7] This in turn was reputedly because of Geldof's "denunciation of nationalism, medieval-minded clerics and corrupt politicians" in a memorably controversial 1977 interview/performance on Ireland's The Late Late Show with Gay Byrne.[8][9]

Charts

Chart (1980–81)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[10]	18
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[11]	30
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[12]	47
Germany (Official German Charts)[13]	3
Ireland (IRMA)[14]	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15]	35
Norway (VG-lista)[16]	3
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[17]	12
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[18]	7
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[19]	10
UK Singles (OCC)[20]	3

References

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