"Rat Race" is a song by ska/2-Tone band the Specials, released on 16 May 1980 by 2 Tone Records as a double A-side single with "Rude Buoys Outa Jail".

[2][3] "Rat Race" is a critique on how privileged students "would spend three years pissing it up in college, knowing full well that Daddy would get them a good job when they left no matter what",[4] "while ordinary kids have nothing to look forward to".

[5] Linton Kwesi Johnson's "Me Wan' Fi Go Rave" was taken as a musical starting point and keyboardist Jerry Dammers added a plucked piano intro inspired by John Barry (possibly from "A Man Alone" from the soundtrack to the film The Ipcress File).

[4][6] Reviewing the song for Record Mirror, Daniela Soave wrote "The group with the Midas touch and my most favourite of the 2 Tone movement.

[4] The song was written by Golding, Staples and Panter (credited as Sir Horace Gentleman) in about ten minutes during a rehearsal session.