Format Vinyl record (7") Genre Punk rock Label Ardeck-EMI | Recorded January 1981 Length 3:30 | |
Released 21 April 1981 (1981-04-21) | ||
"It's Going to Happen!" is a punk rock song originally written and recorded by Northern Irish band The Undertones. The song was written in the winter of 1980 and recorded at Wisseloord Studios in the Netherlands in January, 1981. The song was the eighth single released by the band, and the second single released to be co-written by lead guitarist Damian O'Neill and bassist Michael Bradley.
Unlike any of the previous singles released by The Undertones, all of which focused on teenage angst and romance, "It's Going to Happen!" was written in reference to the 1981 hunger strikes in Northern Ireland. The single is also notable for its inclusion of brass instruments in the recording.
The song was released as a single on 21 April 1981, two weeks before the release of the Undertones' 3rd LP, Positive Touch, and reached number 18 in the UK Singles Chart on 24 May. The single also peaked at number 7 in the Irish Singles Chart, making the single the band's highest positioning single in any singles chart.
"It's Going to Happen!" was performed on Top of the Pops on 5 May 1981, the day one of the hunger strikers, Bobby Sands, died. To mark his death, Damian O'Neill performed the song on Top of the Pops wearing a Black Armband.