This Is England (song)
Encyclopedia
"This Is England" is a song by English punk rock
band The Clash
, released in September 1985 as the only single
from their sixth and final critically maligned studio album Cut the Crap
. It was the final release while the group were still together, in their final incarnation of Joe Strummer
, Paul Simonon
, Nick Sheppard
, Pete Howard and Vince White
.
at the time.
The song comprises a list of the problems in England during the early years of the Thatcher administration, addressing inner-city violence, urban alienation
, life on council estates, high unemployment rate, England's dying motorcycle industry, racism, nationalism, and police corruption—as well as two very common subject matters for mid-1980s left-wing songwriters: the Falklands War
; and the consumerist, subservient mind-set of many English people at the time.
The song begins with the squeaky voice of a market hawker shouting, "four for a pound your face flannels; three for a pound your tea towels!" It is unclear whether it is the voice of a child or of an adult that has been sped-up to raise its pitch.
magazine in their December 2003 issue of the top 30 Clash songs (chosen by an all-star panel). However, the single's contemporary reviews were much more negative and in keeping with the general reaction to Cut the Crap, such as Gavin Martin's review in NME
, who claimed that "Strummer's rant bears all the signs of aged rocker well into advance senility".
In the same year of its original release, the single was re-released in a 12" vinyl format with a different cover and an additional track in the side two, titled "Sex Mad Roar".
Initially, attempts were made by the Clash and others to ignore the final incarnation of the band. As such, "This Is England" is not included on The Singles, the band's discography ends with "Should I Stay or Should I Go
" / "Straight to Hell
" in Clash on Broadway
and Don Letts
' 2000 documentary about the band, Westway to the World
, totally ignores the whole period, giving the impression that the Clash broke up when Mick Jones
left the group. This changed, however, with the release of The Essential Clash
in 2003, which included "This Is England" as its final track, making it the first compilation to acknowledge a song from the period.
In 2006, the single was fully re-released on CD
as disc 19 in Singles Box
, accompanied by a faithful re-creation of the single's original artwork and the extra track "Sex Mad Roar" from the original 12" pressing. The single also appears on the 2007 collection The Singles.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
, released in September 1985 as the only single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
from their sixth and final critically maligned studio album Cut the Crap
Cut the Crap
Cut the Crap is the sixth and final album by the English punk rock band The Clash, released on 4 November 1985 by Epic Records.Following the ejection of founding member Mick Jones from the group, The Clash hired guitarists Nick Sheppard and Vince White to replace him...
. It was the final release while the group were still together, in their final incarnation of Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
, Paul Simonon
Paul Simonon
Paul Gustave Simonon is an English musician and artist best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. Recent work includes his involvement in the album The Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, released in January 2007...
, Nick Sheppard
Nick Sheppard
Nick Sheppard is a Bristol-born guitarist best known for being in the well-known punk band The Clash for a short time.-Biography:Nick Sheppard was educated at Bristol Grammar School, one of Bristol's leading public schools, and was in the same year as fellow musician Mark Stewart of The Pop Group...
, Pete Howard and Vince White
Vince White
Gregory Stuart Lee White , better known as Vince White, was one of the guitarists recruited by The Clash to replace Mick Jones after he was fired from the band in 1983.-Biography:...
.
Lyrics and meaning
Written in late 1983, the song is about the state of EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at the time.
The song comprises a list of the problems in England during the early years of the Thatcher administration, addressing inner-city violence, urban alienation
Social alienation
The term social alienation has many discipline-specific uses; Roberts notes how even within the social sciences, it “is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship”...
, life on council estates, high unemployment rate, England's dying motorcycle industry, racism, nationalism, and police corruption—as well as two very common subject matters for mid-1980s left-wing songwriters: the Falklands War
Falklands War
The Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
; and the consumerist, subservient mind-set of many English people at the time.
The song begins with the squeaky voice of a market hawker shouting, "four for a pound your face flannels; three for a pound your tea towels!" It is unclear whether it is the voice of a child or of an adult that has been sped-up to raise its pitch.
Reception and release
Unlike the album, which continues to receive criticism and in some cases ridicule, "This Is England" is often praised. Strummer described it as his "last great Clash song". The song was number 30 in a poll conducted by UncutUNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
magazine in their December 2003 issue of the top 30 Clash songs (chosen by an all-star panel). However, the single's contemporary reviews were much more negative and in keeping with the general reaction to Cut the Crap, such as Gavin Martin's review in NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, who claimed that "Strummer's rant bears all the signs of aged rocker well into advance senility".
In the same year of its original release, the single was re-released in a 12" vinyl format with a different cover and an additional track in the side two, titled "Sex Mad Roar".
Initially, attempts were made by the Clash and others to ignore the final incarnation of the band. As such, "This Is England" is not included on The Singles, the band's discography ends with "Should I Stay or Should I Go
Should I Stay or Should I Go
"Should I Stay or Should I Go" is a song by the English punk rock band The Clash, from their album Combat Rock. It was written in 1981 and featured Mick Jones on lead vocals. It became the band's only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart, a decade after it was originally released. In November...
" / "Straight to Hell
Straight to Hell (song)
"Straight to Hell" is a song by The Clash, from their album Combat Rock. It was released as a double A-side single with "Should I Stay or Should I Go" on 17 September 1982 in 12" and 7" vinyl format format. A slow, mournful ballad, it is one of the most popular songs in the Clash canon due to its...
" in Clash on Broadway
Clash on Broadway
-Track listing:All songs written by Mick Jones and Joe Strummer except where noted otherwise.-Disc one:# "Janie Jones" — 2:11# "Career Opportunities" — 1:58#* early demo versions produced by Guy Stevens# "White Riot" — 1:59# "1977" — 1:41...
and Don Letts
Don Letts
Don Letts is a British film director and musician. He is credited as the man who through his DJing at clubs like The Roxy brought together punk and reggae music.-Biography:...
' 2000 documentary about the band, Westway to the World
Westway to the World
The Clash: Westway to the World is a 2000 documentary film about the British punk rock band The Clash. In 2003 it won the Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video....
, totally ignores the whole period, giving the impression that the Clash broke up when Mick Jones
Mick Jones (The Clash)
Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones is the former lead guitarist, secondary vocalist and co-founder for the British punk rock band The Clash until his dismissal in 1983. He went on to form the band Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts before line-up changes led to the formation of Big Audio Dynamite II and...
left the group. This changed, however, with the release of The Essential Clash
The Essential Clash
The Essential Clash is a career-spanning greatest hits album by The Clash first released in 2003. It is part of the on-going 'The Essential' Sony BMG compilation series...
in 2003, which included "This Is England" as its final track, making it the first compilation to acknowledge a song from the period.
In 2006, the single was fully re-released on CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
as disc 19 in Singles Box
Singles Box
Singles Box is a compilation album by The Clash. Included within is all the singles that they released in the UK , with the single mixes and edits with the B-sides released, and also containing B-sides from different parts of the world.The discs are packaged in a sleeve which reproduces the...
, accompanied by a faithful re-creation of the single's original artwork and the extra track "Sex Mad Roar" from the original 12" pressing. The single also appears on the 2007 collection The Singles.
Charts
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