I came across this tonight while researching the name and performer of a song I remembered from WKRP in Cincinnati. I've never made the connections claimed here or even the claim before. Have you?
According to published reports, “The Boys Are Back in Town,” the only U.S. hit for the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy, borrows part of its melody from “Kitty’s Back.” Most people cite Mike Putterford’s 2002 book, “Phil Lynott: The Rocker,” as the source for the claim. According to the book, Lynott was struggling to complete a song called “G.I. Joe Is Back in Town” about a Vietnam soldier coming home after the war. Lynott eventually changed the song to a story about a group of friends hitting the town but still couldn’t quite get the music right. At the suggestion of producer John Alcock, Springsteen’s “Kitty’s Back” was used as the basis for the bass line, guitar breaks and vocal phrasing in the newly retitled “The Boys Are Back in Town.” Although it may be hard to recognize the similarities when you only hear the songs occasionally, one listen to the two songs back-to-back is all you’ll need to hear the similarities.
I read about this many years ago. To be fair, I've never closely listened to the Thin Lizzy tune (in the way I've listened to Bruce's music) but it's something I've heard many many times on classic rock radio over the journey. So, I would've heard it many times before I ever heard Kitty's Back. And I know I never connected the two at that point. Since then, I would've heard Kitty's Back immeasurably more times than The Boys Are Back... and, again, I've never thought once 'wow, this sounds like KB' when I've heard to the Lizzy tune.
But then again, I sat bemused by the whole I Was Made For Loving You / Outlaw Pete comparison debate also. I still can't hear that one either.
Back in highschool - 1985 - I had a class mate that gave me a mix-tape with Thin Lizzy songs. Soon after that I ponted it out to him that "The Boys Are Back in Town" was a Kitty's rip-off. After school I dragged him with me to the local record store and made him listen to the original. He had to admit that there was a striking similarity between the songs. So, yes, I have been hearing it for quit a while. 😉
I've always thought it was Springsteenesque, but never notice any specific similarity to Kitty's Back. Now, Rat Trap is my favorite Boomtown Rats song and it owes so much to Springsteen that it could almost qualify as parody.
Yes, I have known about this for a long time. Many fans on the forums have hoped Bruce/ESB would cover the song but it's not happened.
As an aside, you have to think Boomtown Rats - Rat Trap, owed a lot to Bruce and the above Thin Lizzy song.