You know what today is.
» Fat Les – Jerusalem » Chariots Of Fire Soundtrack – Vangelis – Jerusalem » The Clash – This Is England (Unreleased Version)– Interesting snippet I never knew until now:
[Via Wikipedia] Written in late 1983, the song is about the state of Britain, a more focused variant of “Straight to Hell”, mixed with choruses calling for national identity.
The song makes up an accurate list of the problems in Britain circa 1984, addressing inner-city violence (particularly knives), urban alienation, life on council estates, unemployment, Britain’s dying motorcycle industry, a South Atlantic winter that had recently killed hundreds of young Britons, racism and police corruption as well as two very common subject matters in the mid-’80s – the Falklands War and the consumerist, subservient mind-set of many of Britons at the time.
I think “5 O’Clock Hero” is one of the most under-rated Jam songs. Even though it was a single, most people don’t seem to know it at all.
It’s a shame really because it has a particularly good set of Weller lyrics. Admittedly some of the things he says in it sound a little dated now, but it’s good to remember how he used to be a proper, angry songwriter.