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| "Killer on the Loose" | |
|---|---|
 UK single sleeve artwork byJim Fitzpatrick | |
| Single byThin Lizzy | |
| from the albumChinatown | |
| B-side | "Don't Play Around" |
| Released | September 1980 |
| Recorded | 1980 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:55 |
| Label | Vertigo |
| Songwriter(s) | Phil Lynott |
| Producer(s) | Kit Woolven and Thin Lizzy |
"Killer on the Loose" is a song by Irish rock bandThin Lizzy, released as a single in September 1980. It was written byPhil Lynott, and is from their 1980 albumChinatown.[2] The song was a chart hit, peaking at No. 10 on theUK Singles Chart,[3] and No. 5 on theIrish Singles Chart.
The song, in which Lynott took the persona ofJack the Ripper, received much controversy. The single was released amidst theYorkshire Ripper murders and many members of the British public, largely women, were outraged by the song's lyrics and its references to the Ripper.[4] A music video, in which Lynott is dressed in a Ripper style trench coat surrounded by scantily clad women, generated even more controversy when it was released in 1980.[citation needed]
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[5] | 5 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[6] | 10 |
