The Toughest Street In Town - Thin Lizzy

The Toughest Street In Town - Thin Lizzy

4:00

Black Rose: A Rock Legend, 1979

Written by Scott Gorham, Phil Lynott, and Gary Moore

One of the most punk-adjacent cuts in Thin Lizzy's catalog, this song bursts open with slashing guitars that could've come straight from the Sex Pistols (Phil Lynott's mates, and kindred spirits in attitude if not in polish).  The guitars are hard edged, Brian Downey's drumming snaps like a snare in an alley, while Lynott spits his lines with the rhythmic swagger of a boxer turned street poet. "Like a rat in a pack it attacks / From the back / Through a crack in a track / And you take a smack."  The song paints a grimy cityscape, a Lou Reed vignette refitted with power chords and defiant Irish soul. The chorus crashes in over a dependable "Louie Louie" chord, a gang chant that feels both desperate and triumphant. Then Moore detonates a furious solo, full of sharp bends and molten tone, showing he was such a natural (albeit brief) fit for Lizzy's mix of toughness and melody. 

Fighting My Way Back - Thin Lizzy

Fighting My Way Back - Thin Lizzy

3:11

Fighting, 1975

Written by Phil Lynott

This guy in this song's had some hard times.  He's sick, unsure, in a real state, there's nothing in his past that's a shining exemplar of good decisions.  Maybe he drank himself to sleep too many nights.  But he's not giving up!  "I'm tough, rough, ready and I'm able / To pick myself up from under this table."  This song is a thundering rocker, a cross between Springsteen and AC/DC (the latter especially in the beginning chant of "fight!").  Lyrically, it's got the mix of self-deprecation and bombast of both those acts, and musically, it's a double-guitar anthem with wah-wah strumming and drummer Brian Downey's assured groove.