Destination Unknown (song)

Not to be confused with Destination Calabria.

"Destination Unknown"
Single by Missing Persons
from the album Spring Session M
Released	September 1982
Recorded	1980
Studio	UMRK (Los Angeles)
Genre	Rock[1] new wave[1]
Length	3:40
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Dale Bozzio Terry Bozzio Warren Cuccurullo
Producer(s)	Ken Scott
Missing Persons singles chronology
"Windows" (1982) "Destination Unknown" (1982) "Walking in L.A." (1983)

"Destination Unknown" is a song by American band Missing Persons. It was written by Dale Bozzio, Terry Bozzio, and Warren Cuccurullo with production by Ken Scott at Frank Zappa's Utility Muffin Research Kitchen studio.^[2] Originally released on the band's self-titled EP (1980), the song was released as a single in September 1982 and appeared on their debut studio album Spring Session M (1982).^{[citation needed]}

In the United States, it was a minor hit spending 13 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, narrowly missing the Top 40 by peaking at #42 in November 1982.^[3][4]

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
United States	September 1982	7"	Capitol

Charts

Chart performance for
"Destination Unknown"

Chart (1982–1983)	Peak position
Australia[5]	89
US Billboard Hot 100[6]	42
US Cash Box Top 100[7]	40

Cover versions and media appearances

• The Smashing Pumpkins have covered this song; it appears on their 1996 box set The Aeroplane Flies High.
• Replicants recorded a cover of this song for their 1995 self-titled album.
• Erectus Monotone covered the song on the 1992 compilation album "Tannis Root Presents: Freedom of Choice".^[8]
• Joan Jett and the Blackhearts covered the song for the soundtrack of the 2009 movie Endless Bummer.
• The song is featured in the 2006 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories on the in-game radio station Flash FM.
• The song is played at the end of Season 2, episode 7, titled "Nothing Shattered", of the Netflix series GLOW.
• The song is played during The Goldbergs Season 8 Episode 20 episode Poker Night.
• The song is played in Episode 6, Season 2 of the Netflix series, Sex Education during Otis’ party.

References

1. Gerard, Chris (15 April 2024). "The 100 Best Alternative Songs of the 1980s". PopMatters. Retrieved 25 December 2024. It's no accident that ["Destination Unknown"]'s electrifying new wave/rock blend of synthesizers, guitar, bass, and drums blasts emphatically out of speakers...
2. Scott, Ken; Owsinski, Bobby (2013). : Off the Record with the Beatles, Bowie, Elton & So Much More. United States: Alfred Music. pp. 305–6. ISBN 0-7390-7858-5.
3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications)
4. "Missing Persons - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
6. "Missing Persons Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
7. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending December 11, 1982". Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 2018-08-26.Cash Box magazine.
8. "Tannis Root Presents: Freedom of Choice - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-26.

External links

• Missing Persons – "Destination Unknown" (music video) on YouTube