Not the Top 12 Dropkick Murphys songs, but my Top 12 Dropkick Murphys songs. Happy St. Patrick’s Day, you punks.
I have a special connection to the band. They formed in Boston in 1996; I started my radio career in Boston in 1996. I even played one of their early singles on my college radio show at WRBB. Obviously, I’ll share it on my Top 12 below. Shout out to my fellow WRBB DJs Hal and Punk Rock Steve for wising me up to the Murphys. Proud punks all around.
I became a full-fledged, on-the-payroll, part-time DJ at the late WFNX in 1998. That’s the same year the Dropkick Murphys released their debut full-length on Lars Frederiksen’s Hellcat Records. I’d sneak “Get Up” from Do Or Die onto my show when I hosted the overnight shift. I would literally speed through my talk breaks as fast as I could just to have two minutes left at the end of the hour to play it.
In the early ’00s, I introduced radio listeners in Albuquerque and Salt Lake City to the Dropkicks via Sing Loud, Sing Proud. I worked as a DJ in both of those cities, programming a Sunday night new music show called Burning Sensations. The Southwest didn’t know what hit ’em. And when I came back home to Boston, I was the DJ who debuted “Tessie” on WBCN during the magical 2004 Red Sox season.
Adam 12’s Top 12 Dropkick Murphys Songs, For St. Patrick’s Day
So yeah, the parallel is kind of cool. I’m proud to say I’ve championed the band since they became a band over a quarter of a century ago. And, in doing so, I’ve made them part of the soundtrack of my life. If you’ve listened to me on the radio, they’ve become the soundtrack to your life, too. So let’s get into my Top 12. Happy St. Patrick’s Day.