Teenage Kicks

Upon first hearing "Teenage Kicks" in September 1978, BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel is reported to have burst into tears, and readily admitted to still being moved to tears upon hearing the song in interviews granted to journalists up until his death.[12] To judge songs he had heard for the first time as to worthiness of airplay upon his show, Peel often rated new bands' songs with a series of asterisks, with each song judged upon a scale of one to five asterisks: Peel was so taken by "Teenage Kicks", he awarded the song 28 stars. On one occasion, he is known to have played the song twice in a row, with the explanation given to his audience being, "It doesn't get much better than this."[13]

In a 2001 interview given to The Guardian, Peel stated that apart from his name, the only words he wished to be engraved upon his gravestone were the opening lyrics to "Teenage Kicks": "Teenage dreams so hard to beat?"[14]

In February 2008, a headstone engraved with these words was placed on his grave in the Suffolk village of Great Finborough.[15]

In 2004, a mural in tribute to Peel, featuring the opening line of "Teenage Kicks", appeared on a Belfast flyover.[n 1]

• Teenage Kicks - The Undertones is a 2001 documentary film directed by Tom Collins.[18]
• Here Comes the Summer: The Undertones Story is a 2012 BBC-commissioned documentary focusing upon the Undertones.[19] The documentary was broadcast on BBC Four in September that year. This documentary also features interviews with current and former members of the Undertones (excluding Feargal Sharkey) in addition to fans, friends and additional personnel involved in the band's recordings and career.