Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham has revealed that the song "The Boys Are Back in Town" was actually about a group of friends. The song, released in 1976, is considered one of the greatest songs of all time and peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard charts. The band had not yet broken through in the U.S. and the pressure was on for them to secure a hit. Gorham joined the band in 1974 and the song's lyrics were influenced by Phil Lynott, the band's co-founder and lead singer, who later died in 1986.