"Outdoor Miner" is a song written by Colin Newman and Graham Lewis, and performed by the English post-punk band Wire.

[5] EMI recognised that the song could potentially be a hit single, but were concerned that it was too short,[6] measuring only 1 minute 45 seconds.

They added an additional verse and chorus plus a piano solo played by producer Mike Thorne,[6] pushing the length to 2 minutes 51 seconds.

[6] At the time Top of the Pops was one of the few opportunities for acts to promote their work on national television, with over 15 million viewers.

[6] Reviewing the single for the NME, Charles Shaar Murray wrote "This record is white and shows the dirt.