History
First issued in late 1965 on the Tower label, a subsidiary of Capitol Records, the song debuted April 30, 1966 on the Cash Box charts and peaked at #8. It reached #11 on the Billboard singles charts on June 11. It was the band's first major hit single; their earlier charting record, "The Boy Next Door," had only reached #102 on Billboard's "Bubbling Under" chart in February 1965.
Ironically, although Dirty Water is beloved by the city of Boston and its sports fans, the song actually first became a hit in the state of Florida, first breaking out on WLOF in Orlando in January 1966.
Dirty Water was also the title of the Standells' most successful LP, their only nationally charting album. This LP charted on both Billboard and Cash Box magazines' charts, peaking at #52 and #39, respectively, during the summer of 1966.
The song is traditionally played by Boston sports teams following victories. The Patriots Sound Manager was the first to begin playing the song at the end of every game starting in the mid '80s. The Boston Bruins ice hockey team began playing the song in the early 1990s, and the Boston Red Sox baseball team followed suit after home victories beginning in the 2001 season. The surviving Standells have performed the song at Fenway Park from atop the Green Monster. The song's famous guitar riff was recorded with a Fender Stratocaster through a Vox AC30 amplifier by Standells' guitarist, Tony Valentino.
Dirty Water is listed in the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll."
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