I remember at school my English teacher asked our class to write the lyrics to our fav song, most kids chose Baggy Trousers by Madness, but I chose this one. My teacher couldn't understand how and why a 13 year old kid liked such a dark song, but the kids thought it was cool as I read it out to the class, I said 'pissed' and 'VD' and got away with it. Great group, whose songs perfectly reflected the mood of the times.
I was 10 when listening to this, my teacher asked us if we followed current affairs in class and couldn’t understand why a 10 year old kid could tell him more about the sinking of the Belgrano and the war itself..!! Us kids were clever back in 1980 ☮️
Dont stop forgetting this song..Double A as recall? International Jet set....just as good!! Wonderful times wish we could rewind the clock even just for one evening !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But now that I'm older, wiser, and much more open minded I love this side. I loved the fact that they were ballsy enough to experiment with different sounds and created this element of surprise to the listener. The Specials were a great band!
Even when I first heard them in 79, I felt that this was the beginning of an incredible new era of music. It came from another reality and it still feels that way. The Specials lived up to their name! Working class black and white music that is brillant and timelss. Viva Terry Hall!
That's what I've always liked about the song----the somewhat happy but melancholy sound of it. I always thought this would be a perfect song to perform in a musical flick, lol. It's damn near perfect though, which is why I love it.
This song was included on the mixtape made for my Uncle who's dead now. From the stories I hear, he definitely got the girls, rode the bikes and drank his age in pints . God bless Nuada Winder. RIP x
One of the best songs off the first cassette by the Specials i ever got---which I lost a long time ago (ugh)----always thought this would sound great in a movie---always love the chorus,too
Always loved that crazy trumpet in the background, what a classic and backed with another gem in International Jet Set which was just as well cos radio 1 wouldn't play the other side
That's how I found this. I'm very late to the show and only just getting into it (really good) and really intrigued by the intro and the song they used, it's somehow so fitting I thought it was created specifically for the show 🤦🏾♀️
I was a kid to,when the special a.k.a began thare political journey,expressing themselves through ska music,nobody hate specials,rude boys out of jail.
knew Jerry Dammers in the 80's too coll to chat hiself up, and we never saw the best of a genius we ad a beer in the red Wedge gig in Cardiff in the early 90's and he aint done a lot since.
Sandinista rarely gets the praise it deserves--good comparison in terms of musical advances; Radio Clash is great, too, although only an EP and the same track in different forms, but as for sonic innovation, it is fantastic. This is probably the best the Specials got. More Specials confounded a few people expecting ska revival 2, but over time I think it has come to be seen as a masterpiece!
Actually, I thought that 'Stereotypes - Part 2' on I'm pretty sure side 2 of More Specials was utterly brilliant. Having said which I spent most of my university days 38 years ago listening to 'Let's Make the Water Turn Black' by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. What made The Specials special for me was that they didn't just play ska covers straight off the boat from Jamaica. They were Coventry kids and they had a lot more to say, about urban life here. And I still play their albums.
