UB40 - One In Ten Reaction 

Saddest thing is......the world hasn't changed a bit since this was released....in fact it's worse😔......Great song....Great reaction👍

I was on the dole at the time and I had a UB40 unemployed benifit card. This is the real UB40 political and musical 😢

Named after Unemployment Benefit form UB40 during the hated Thatcher years. Formed in Coventry, Warwickshire. Still around despite Ali leaving the band. His brother is now the singer. They performed at Zebedees Yard in Hull, East Yorkshire just before Covid arrived.

This was easily their best song. One of the most profound songs ever written.

Ha ! Yes ! Great band ! glad you gave this track a go , UB,40 were brilliant live , proper crisp , saw them live in 1980 ,and 1981 ! this Still sounds as good today as it did then .Cheers .

I love you guys how you understand and feel the message of songs you react to. I saw ub40 in Moseley before they were mainstream and I thought blimey they are good. Every politician should hear this song, but they won't actually listen -or change anything

This was about the state of Britain in the late 70's especially, the midlands (Birmingham/Coventry) with the dying car and other industries. I was at senior school in Coventry and there was no motivation.

Their best album and the most creditable. Try the outstanding 'Burden of Shame' from here. There were a few songs at the time on the same theme. You've done 'Ghost Town' now have a look at 'Heartland' by The The and 'United Kingdom' by ABC

Lyrics I am the one in ten A number on a list I am the one in ten Even though I don't exist Nobody Knows me But I'm always there A statistic, a reminder Of a world that doesn't care My arms enfold the dole queue Malnutrition dulls my hair My eyes are black and lifeless With an underprivileged stare I'm the beggar on the corner Will no-one spare a dime? I'm the child that never learns to read 'Cause no-one spared the time [Chorus] I'm the murderer and the victim The license with the gun I'm a sad and bruised old lady In an ally in a slum I'm a middle aged businessman With chronic heart disease I'm another teenage suicide In a street that has no trees [Chorus] I'm a starving third world mother A refugee without a home I'm a house wife hooked on Valium I'm a Pensioner alone I'm a cancer ridden spectre Covering the earth I'm another hungry baby I'm an accident of birth. [Chorus]

Thanks for the shout out guys :). This and Food for Thought, best of their songs. Brings back memories of school and the worries we all had about whether we’d get jobs when left. 1 in 10 people unemployed seemed scary as hell back then.

Like Ghost Town by The Specials, this was a song that defined the mood of the times. Unemployment was running at over 20% amongst school leavers where I grew up but at least the UB40 card was my free pass to the local leisure centre. I was poor but healthy.

Loving how the lady is feeling the vibe of ub40... More power to you sister.

Well said both, wise words indeed.

Great tune from a great album..

Back then UB40 were a great band with a great message! Then they became so watered done like a cheap glass of red wine.

Good song from a band which was great for about the first three albums then slumped into being a wedding band churning out cod reggae covers of other peoples songs.

I just remembered the Easy Star All-Stars are Canadian. They do reggae cover lps. So far they have done "Dub Side Of The Moon" and a second version "Dubber Side Of The Moon" (Pink Floyd), "Radiodread" (Radio Head), "Easy Star's Thrillah" (Micheal Jackson - Thriller) and their new one out soon "Ziggy Stardub" (David Bowie) which has a couple of tracks available on RU-vid. The Dub Side and Ziggy Stardub are excellent.

This is from their second lp in 81(?) and along with their first lp included quite a few jabs at one of the worst governments in my time. They pretty much turned to covers after their third lp with the odd original one thrown in. Their first lp came out with a 12" with what must be one of the best tracks they ever did. "Madame Medusa" is definitely worth checking out. It's about Margeret Thatcher the Prime Monster of the time.

Great reaction to a great song 👍👏👏

No Governance.. people police themselves. Cynthia is getting it totally Respect you guys🙏

I'm glad that I found your reaction to this. It's an important message, and an important song I think.

The first song I remember about being on the dole I was 10 at the time I never thought it would happen to me but it did when I was 19, 4 or 5 years in a 11 year period .Fortunately I've not been in that position for over 21 years and I appreciate every bit of money I earn. Judging people is disgusting as to there upbringing ,education, secular situation there's a saying be nice to people on the way up because you might bump into on them on the way down . I've come close to becoming homeless but know where near homelessness in the real sense of the word. We all need to show Empathy and a little sympathy to everyone because as you both have said no one knows what is around the corner. Love your reactions and choices great stuff 👍

Oh, you went there. I am so glad! I often get gaslit when I call out the predator class. Kudos and respect from Albuquerque, NM. I have covered many protest songs on my YT channel

Well done it's Reggae Sunday here in the hills of the kiapara 👏👏👏 thank you everyone who requested this oh man I'd forgotten how good that SAX IS

'Red, Red Wine' is a cover, written by your Neil Diamond.

They blame the wrong people . Well said , I m gonna use that one . Staight to the truth .

That one in ten thing is a big reason i don't get bent out of shape when guys run off with ya smokes or bag's of food shopping it's annoying but doesn't mean I'll starve or be desperate for nicotine like the randoms who are waiting for an opportunity to eat or have some respite from nicotine addiction JUST HAVE SOME EMPATHY FOR OTHERS IT'S NOT HARD AND WILL MAKE YOU FEEL A BIT BETTER INSIDE AS WELL if no one is hurt or threatened LAUGH IT OFF and get on with life

Saw them back in the early 80's in Birmingham, when I left school and had a UB40 and got in free ❤

Brilliant ub40

I love you guys. My growing up, part of my understanding of the world is and how it's unfair. I was 10 then and nothing has really changed. UB40 before the money bceame a ting.

Ub40 and pato banton baby come back is a brilliant song

The only UB40 song I love - it's a shame that they became a covers band. You two are sounding like anarcho punks - I agree and applaud you. Thanks for the discussion, much appreciated.

great song great reaction

Classic UB40, they didn't get much better than this for my money. The first couple of albums are great, i still play the Dub version of Present Arms a lot, after that my interest fades over time. This is an excellent study of life in the UK at the time, it's up there with the likes of Ghost Town, by The Specials, it's the sound of Britain on it's knees.

As you probably know ,but for those that don't ..UB40 was the signing on card for the unemployed .. and 1 in 10 was the % of unemployed at the time of Thatchers Government in the UK A great band ..

Great voice, dig the beat and really reflected accurately that current time in the UK.

Such a great band, pity the main singer and group parted ways. From the start I've always loved the Hanier's reactions and it kind of hit me here. I'm in Scotland on the opposite side of the ocean and your damn decent, kind, heartfelt, intelligent approach to life is so similar to mine. It feels like we see the same moon and sun. Obviously at different times but you encourage that humanity with your reactions.

England in the early 80's was a bleak place for most. Everyone was on the " dole " .. Welfare. Thanks Maggie ..

B side Earth dies screaming is a great track

I like the class consciousness in the UK. Over the decades, I'm become a keen critic of lyrics and I like ones of empathy with the powerless. Instead of empathy for the Powerful ❤☮

My way of thinking is another great early track by UB40 , keep going down the UB40 rabbit hole

I love this band, sound track to my life...Ali is so unique with that distinctive voice, shame they all drifted apart, still one of the biggest selling reggea bands of all time..GWAN the Brummies

King was another of theirs from the same era and The Earth Dies Screaming / Dream a Lie plus My Way of Thinking all GREAT...

Love this song, thank you

i was on a YTS when this came out and we used our mates dole card to get 50p of the ticket as they were £2.50 without one. as i was on £22,50 per week to live on for 40 hours per week so brings back so many memories going to see them in the liverpool empire,

would love to see your reaction to "Guns in the Ghetto" by UB40 with lyrics. i have been listening to the song for years and never knew what the singer was actually saying but i have come to appreciate it more even bringing me to tears now that i understand what he was actually saying.

1981 and Maggie Thatchers Britain! I was 18 and working under her new "Job creation scheme" which paid you £20 for a 40 hour week when the standard weekly wage was £65 or there about!. The incentive was to stick it out and hope your employer takes you on full time when he generally got 6 month free Labour out of you and then showed you the door! 3 million unemployed by 81 and she'd only been in power for 2 years!

Forget the rest,their first two albums are the only ones worth listening to.

. One in Ten - One person in ten in the UK at that time was unemployed. at this time, the prime minister of Uk was Thatcher - enough said

Back to when UB40 were a terrific band, provocative and rootsy - listen to the first 2 or 3 albums before they decided to go all commercial

ANOTHER GREAT REGGAE SONG FROM 1994 IS BY DAWN PENN YOU DONT NEED ME, THINK ITS CALLED, CHEERS

Superb,first two albums are the best,take anything from the Signing Off album, it's all quality🙂👍🎼🎵🎵🎶🎶❤️

the sight of the song is still here to day in fact the song could have been written next week next year and so on of course the bands name comes from the form you would claim benefit from the UB40 form

I forgot how good ub40 are

"Divide and Conquer."

they had powerful lyrics in their early songs ,before they got lazy and started to record covers .

How did it go from this to becoming a cover band? Loved the first three albums and so glad to have seen them live at that time.

Morena good morning my friends yeeehaaa this is a wicked one I've seen UB40 twice 👏👏👏👍

But while They don't care,We do.

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Wicked song.... Still true today

This was when they were very new , very radical , very current , very tuneful and worthy …. Within a couple of years they had went down the chicken in a basket , cocktail, covers route and they had no credibility after that which was a terrible shame as they had a massive effect on young teenagers like myself . Sorry if that upsets their fans but I’m only being honest . I shudder with excitement when I hear The earth dies screaming , and I die screaming when I hear Red Red Wine ffs 🤦‍♂️ 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

During Tharcher error the lady with an iron fist.

Their first album still sounds as fresh and angry now, not a great fan of much beyond the second album, which is where this track came from.

red red wine is one of their worst imo commercial songs (neil diamond of course) this song of Present Arms a must have album is full of bangers

A real commentary about the unemployment situation at the time. These guys didn't hold back

Great song UB40 was a unemployment card that you had take to social security office to sign on for your dole money, you probably knew that but just thought!

Not a fan of the slideshow, the original video is way better, Loved this song from the first time i heard it.

Only got worse, now it's a 9 in 10 ...sad world we are creating ...

Great song from my UB40 days signing on in 1981,but crap hammer-the-message-home video made by someone with too much time on their hands. I'm sure there's a band performance official video out there.

Possibly their greatest single when they had something important to say rather than what they became, naff white man pop reggae and bang on Cynthia, everyone being encouraged to blame the wrong people by the people who cause all the problems.

UB40 was so much more than the commercialised rubbish that they became, try fight fe come in or two in a one next!

I love you both, that out of way what to you say to the dubliners that an African muslin stapped 3 young Irish kids 5 n under and the kindergarten helpwho got hurt putting her own life at risk for them what!! So I say Irish lives matter I don't care about them

Such a shame that UB40 gave up intelligent lyrics and more roots sound to focus on insipid, emasculated cover versions.

What a shame that this is a tacky lefty video ruining a very good song.