Life Begins at the Hop

{{Infobox song

| name = Life Begins at the Hop

| cover = XTC - Life Begins at the Hop.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = XTC

| album =

| released = April 1979

| format =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

• New wave{{cite web |title=New Wave Music Songs |url=https://www.allmusic.com/style/new-wave-ma0000002750/songs |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=8 October 2023}}{{cite book |last=Stanley |first=Bob |chapter=Pleasantly Antagonistic: New Wave |title=Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9emZAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT7 |publisher=Faber and Faber |date=13 September 2013 |page=457 |isbn=978-0-571-28198-5}}
• power pop{{cite news|first= Noel|last= Murray|title= A beginners’ guide to the heyday of power-pop, 1972-1986|website= The A.V. Club |date= 11 October 2012|access-date= 19 December 2024|url= https://www.avclub.com/a-beginners-guide-to-the-heyday-of-power-pop-1972-198-1798234154}}

| length = 3:46

| label = Virgin Records

| writer = Colin Moulding

| producer = Steve Lillywhite

| prev_title = Are You Receiving Me?

| prev_year = 1978

| next_title = Making Plans for Nigel

| next_year = 1979

| misc =

{{External music video|{{YouTube|RoSfTe9cI-M|"Life Begins at the Hop"}}

}}

}}

"Life Begins at the Hop" is a song written by Colin Moulding. It was recorded by XTC and released in 1979 as the group's fifth single. Keyboardist Barry Andrews was replaced by second guitarist Dave Gregory prior to its recording. The song recalls Friday night youth dances that Moulding, in his teenage years, had attended at St. Peter's Church in Penhill, Swindon.

The single's B-side, "Homo Safari" was the first in Andy Partridge's "Homo Safari Series", a six-part series of ambient, impressionistic instrumentals, initially released on the b-sides of various XTC 7" and 12" singles. The song would later be put on the 2014 expanded edition as a bonus track, alongside its A-side, which was also put on the album's original US release, as the opening track.