Kilroy was here Songs Ranked
Kilroy Was Here is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Styx, released on February 22, 1983. A concept album and rock opera about a world where rock music is outlawed, it is named after a famous World War II graffiti tag “Kilroy was here”. It was the final album of original material to be released by the “classic” lineup of Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw, James “J.Y.” Young, John Panozzo, and Chuck Panozzo. The album spawned two hit singles, the synth-pop “Mr. Roboto” which later became one of their signature songs, and the power ballad “Don’t Let It End”. Both of them were major hits in 1983, peaking at #3 and #6 respectively, on the US Billboard Hot 100. Here are all of Kilroy was here songs ranked.
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9. Don’t Let It End (Reprise)
“The album ends on a blurb which is just the reprise of Don’t Let It End. Kilroy Was Here is masterful. It’s Styx still at the height of their powers. It’s relatively flawless. Sad to see Styx dissipate into ether. But, in a way, it was probably best that way..”
8. Double Life
“One of the best albums by Styx; a good mix of soft and harder rock, with some great vocal work and harmonies. With the added bonus of a thought-provoking concept that is still relevant all these years later!”
7. Heavy Metal Poisoning
“Heavy Metal Poisoning is JY being awesome. A little backward masking on the intro. Don’t be scared, it says: “annuit cœptis, novus ordo seclorum” backwards. It’s on the dollar bill. “[he/she/it] has favored our undertakings, a new order of the ages.” It’s creepy because it’s real. Conspiracy theorists, go nuts. Sex and drugs, sex and drugs! Such a great JY song.”
See more: Styx Albums Ranked
6. Don’t Let It End
“Don’t Let It End was great, too. Looking back it seems like a plea that was never answered. I’m sure frictions in the band were high at this time. Shaw vs. DeYoung seemed obvious. Tommy would leave after the Live album follow-up in 1984 Caught In The Act. He wouldn’t return for 11 years. By then it was too late for Chuck Panozzo and the real Styx would be no more.”
5. Mr. Roboto
“Highlights on this album are of course Dennis DeYoung’s two huge hit singles, the infamous “Mr. Roboto” (which peaked at #3 and was not even intended as a single but the powers that be at A&M Records heard “SINGLE” and released it and the rest is history)”
See more: Styx Songs Ranked
4. Cold War
“Probably this is not the best work by Styx, but it is true that it was produced during the period of maturity of this fantastic group. It is a solid album, with a clever balance between the different sounds coming from voices and instruments as well. Powerful and enjoyable.”
3. High Time
“High Time” is prophetic to the moral majority groups which tried to ban or censor music (Tipper Gore’s group came out the year after this album and 2 Live Crew was one of the first targets).”
2. Just Get Through the Night
“This was that magical time when Styx was being inventive and grandiose and saccharine and melancholy and musical and boisterous. When they did what they did because they had to. Defining.”
1. Haven’t We Been Here Before
“Haven’t We Been Here Before is such a great epitaph to Styx. The same old song and dance, warring egos that tear a band to shreds. Almost cliché in a way. But weren’t Styx so cliché anyway? They were and they weren’t, in most instances they created the cliché themselves.”
