A Tonic for the Troops

A Tonic for the Troops is the second album by The Boomtown Rats. It was released in 1978 and included the hit singles "She's So Modern", "Like Clockwork" and "Rat Trap". The album peaked at No. 8 in the UK Albums Chart in 1978. The album featured dark themes in an often upbeat, pop-punk style. One of the album's tracks, "(I Never Loved) Eva Braun", was described by one critic as "the happiest, cheeriest, best upbeat song about Hitler ever written." The lyrics of other songs discussed suicide ("Living in an Island") and euthanasia ("Can't Stop"). "She's So Modern" reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. The album's title was taken from a line in this song: "And Charlie ain't no Nazi/ she likes to wear her leather boots/ 'cuz it's exciting for the veterans/ and it's a tonic for the troops." The most commercially successful track on the album is "Rat Trap", which made it to Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. "Rat Trap" was the final cut on the UK version of the album but the opening track on the US version.