"Dirty Water"
Label on the 1965 US single
Single bythe Standells
from the albumDirty Water
B-side	"Rari"
Released	November 1965 (1965-11)[1]
Recorded	March 5, 1965 (1965-03-05)[2]
Studio	Universal, Hollywood[2]
Genre	Garage rock[3][4] proto-punk[5][6]
Length	2:48
Label	Tower
Songwriter	Ed Cobb
Producer	Ed Cobb
The Standells singles chronology
"Don't Say Goodbye" (1965) "Dirty Water" (1965) "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White" (1966)

"Dirty Water" is a song by the Americanrock bandThe Standells, written by their producerEd Cobb.^[7] Recorded and released in 1965, the song is a mockpaean to the city ofBoston, Massachusetts, and its then-famously pollutedBoston Harbor andCharles River.

According to Standells keyboardist Larry Tamblyn, at least some of the song (notably the reference to "lovers, muggers, and thieves") was inspired by a mugging of producerEd Cobb in Boston.^[8] In addition to theCharles River, other local interest items in the song include theBoston University women'scurfew—"Frustrated women ... have to be in by 12 o'clock"—and a passing mention of theBoston Strangler—"have you heard about the Strangler? (I'm the man I'm the man)."

The well-known guitar riff that opens the song was recorded with aFender Telecaster through aVox AC30 amplifier by Standells guitarist Tony Valentino.^[9] Although Cobb received sole songwriting credit, Tamblyn has stated that the band "completely restructured it ... and made it into what it was", and "we didn’t get any credits for writing nor arranging."^[10]

"Dirty Water" was first issued in late 1965 on the Tower label, a subsidiary ofCapitol Records. It first became a hit in the state ofFlorida, breaking out onWLOF inOrlando in January 1966.^[11]

The song debuted on theCash Box charts on April 30, 1966, and peaked at No. 8. It reached No. 11 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart on June 11.^[12] It was the band's first major hit single; their earlier charting record, "The Boy Next Door", had only reached No. 102 onBillboard'sBubbling Under chart in February 1966.

"Dirty Water" was included in the influentialcompilation albumNuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968 and is listed in theRock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll".^[13]

Dirty Water was also the title of the Standells' most successfulLP, their only nationally charting album. This LP charted on bothBillboard andCash Box magazines' charts, peaking at No. 52 and No. 39, respectively, during the summer of 1966.

The song is traditionally played byBoston sports teams following home victories. TheNational Hockey League'sBoston Bruins began playing it in 1995,^[14] andMajor League Baseball'sBoston Red Sox followed suit after home victories beginning in the 1997 season.^[15]

The Standells performed the song live atFenway Park prior to Game 2 of the2004 World Series.^[16] The song is also included in thesoundtrack for the 2005 filmFever Pitch, which focuses on the2004 Red Sox season.

Starting in April 2019,Liverpool F.C., a club in theEnglish Premier League, began playing "Dirty Water" after home matches. The club is owned byFenway Sports Group, which also owns the Red Sox.^[17][18]

• Dick Dodd – drums, lead vocal
• Gary Lane – backing vocal, bass guitar
• Larry Tamblyn – backing vocal,Vox Continental organ
• Tony Valentino – backing vocal, electric guitar, harmonica

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• Britishgarage rock revivalistsThe Inmates covered "Dirty Water" in 1979 (and replaced Boston and the Charles withLondon and theRiver Thames), a version which was a moderate hit and reached #51 on theBillboard Hot 100 singles chart in January 1980.^[21] This song was promoted with customized promo versions recorded for many towns distributed to radio stations. For example, the promo copy played onJackson, Mississippi's WZZQ said "Pearl River" and "Jackson you're my home".

• List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States

• Songs about Boston
• The Standells songs
• 1966 singles
• Songs written by Ed Cobb
• Boston Red Sox
• 1966 songs
• Capitol Records singles

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