Town Called Malice
Encyclopedia
"Town Called Malice" is a song recorded by The Jam
from the album The Gift
. It reached number one in the UK singles chart
.
Released as the first single from the album on 29 January 1982, it entered the chart at number one on the British
music charts, staying at the top for three weeks,, and preventing "Golden Brown
" by The Stranglers
from reaching number one. EMI
, the Stranglers record company, objected to the sales of both formats of "Town Called Malice" being aggregated, arguing that Jam fans were buying both versions and thus preventing their band from reaching the top of the charts.
It was the band's third number-one single in the UK. It was the band's sole chart entry onto any American chart (although this single and "Start!
" both appeared in the low-rungs of the Billboard Dance/Club Play charts) when it hit #31 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
chart in 1982
Paul Weller has said that it was written about his hometown Woking
as a result of his teenage experiences there.
A music video
of the song was filmed and was in moderate rotation on MTV
in 1982 and 1983. The song was featured prominently in the 1985
comedy film National Lampoon's European Vacation
, 2005
film The Matador
and also appeared in the film Billy Elliot
. The song was also featured several times in the play How to Be a Man in West Belfast, which premiered at Wesleyan University in April 2009. It is also on the soundtrack to FIFA Football 2004
, as well as being featured in the video game Rock Band
. The song featured at the beginning of episode 3.5 of the show Ashes to Ashes
. It can also be heard in the first and last episodes of the first season of the BBC
series Criminal Justice
.
In September 2007, McFly
recorded a cover version of the song as part of Radio 1 Established 1967
, and a cover by Kids In Glass Houses
was included on the CD release of their 2008 single "Saturday".
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
from the album The Gift
The Gift (The Jam album)
The Gift is the sixth and final studio album by British band The Jam. Released on 12 March 1982, it reached #1 on the British charts. Clocking in at 32:17 minutes, the album received a mixed reception from critics and fans....
. It reached number one in the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Song profile
It was a double A-side single release featuring "Precious" as the flip side. A 12" version was also available with a live version of "Town Called Malice" backed by an extended version of "Precious".Released as the first single from the album on 29 January 1982, it entered the chart at number one on the British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
music charts, staying at the top for three weeks,, and preventing "Golden Brown
Golden Brown
"Golden Brown" is a song by the English rock band The Stranglers. It was released as a 7" single in December 1981 in the US and in January 1982 in the UK, on Liberty...
" by The Stranglers
The Stranglers
The Stranglers are an English punk/rock music group.Scoring some 23 UK top 40 singles and 17 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are the longest-surviving and most "continuously successful" band to have originated in the UK punk scene of the mid to late 1970s...
from reaching number one. EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, the Stranglers record company, objected to the sales of both formats of "Town Called Malice" being aggregated, arguing that Jam fans were buying both versions and thus preventing their band from reaching the top of the charts.
It was the band's third number-one single in the UK. It was the band's sole chart entry onto any American chart (although this single and "Start!
Start!
"Start!" is the eleventh UK single release by punk rock band, The Jam and their second number-one, following "Going Underground"/"Dreams of Children". Upon its release on 15 August 1980, it debuted at number three, and two weeks later reached number one for one week...
" both appeared in the low-rungs of the Billboard Dance/Club Play charts) when it hit #31 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks
Mainstream Rock Tracks
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue...
chart in 1982
Paul Weller has said that it was written about his hometown Woking
Woking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
as a result of his teenage experiences there.
A music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
of the song was filmed and was in moderate rotation on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
in 1982 and 1983. The song was featured prominently in the 1985
1985 in film
-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
comedy film National Lampoon's European Vacation
National Lampoon's European Vacation
European Vacation is a 1985 comedy film. The second film in National Lampoon's Vacation film series, it was directed by Amy Heckerling and stars Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo. Dana Hill and Jason Lively replace Dana Barron and Anthony Michael Hall as Griswold children Audrey and Rusty...
, 2005
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
film The Matador
The Matador
The Matador is a 2005 American dark comedy film written and directed by Richard Shepard and starring Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear.As of February 12, 2006, the film grossed a total of $10.5 million in the American box office...
and also appeared in the film Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot
Billy Elliot is a 2000 British drama film written by Lee Hall and directed by Stephen Daldry. Set in the fictional town of "Everington" in the real County Durham, UK, it stars Jamie Bell as 11-year-old Billy, an aspiring dancer, Gary Lewis as his coal miner father, Jamie Draven as Billy's older...
. The song was also featured several times in the play How to Be a Man in West Belfast, which premiered at Wesleyan University in April 2009. It is also on the soundtrack to FIFA Football 2004
FIFA Football 2004
FIFA Football 2004, also known as FIFA Soccer 2004 in North America, is a football video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts. It was released in October 2003 with the tagline "Create Brilliance"....
, as well as being featured in the video game Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
. The song featured at the beginning of episode 3.5 of the show Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to Ashes (TV series)
Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...
. It can also be heard in the first and last episodes of the first season of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice (TV series)
Criminal Justice is a British television drama series produced by the BBC and first shown in 2008. Written by Peter Moffat, each five-episode series follows the journey of an individual through the justice system and was first broadcast over five successive nights on BBC One.The first series, first...
.
In September 2007, McFly
McFly
McFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...
recorded a cover version of the song as part of Radio 1 Established 1967
Radio 1 Established 1967
The compilation album Radio 1 Established 1967 is a collection of covers especially recorded for Radio 1 by a number of artists. The album celebrates the 40th anniversary of BBC Radio 1. There are 40 songs recorded by 40 different artists . Each artist was given a year, and were allowed to cover a...
, and a cover by Kids In Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses
Kids in Glass Houses are a Welsh rock band from Cardiff, and are considered a significant part of the Cardiff music scene. The band's name is inspired by the lyrics "not throwing stones at you anymore" from Glassjaw song "Tip Your Bartender". The band achieved success on the strength of the singles...
was included on the CD release of their 2008 single "Saturday".