So, this song is about the British class system, and how it is so ingrained that however hard you fight, or however hard you try, the only way to get to the other side of the road is to be born over there. A great song by a great band.
Eton produced more Prime Ministers than any other school put together. And not usually with great results (see David Cameron, Boris Johnson). This was written after he'd read a news item on Eton pupils getting tangled up with people on a march for jobs I believe. Very much about the British class system.
Even now in the UK we have a government full of wealthy public schoolboys running the show - nothing has really changed since this was released. "What chance have you got against a tie and a crest"
Kia Ora hello it's heath Holly hell I've been going through your back catalogue HOW MUCH HAS CHANGED your production has 💥 EXPLODED 100% BETTER sound/video and your delivery 👍 what a change a year makes WELL DONE MY FRIENDS 🤘👏👏👏
Ok, the lyrics are extremely political. I'll try to keep the explanation as brief as possible. Background. In the 1930's, during the depression, unemployed ship workers from the shipyards of Tyneside (NE England) marched to London to petition the government, who were ignoring their plight, for work/jobs. This was called the Jarrow Crusade and is a very famous political/historical landmark here. Fast forward 50 years (1980's) and Britain is in that situation again under the uncaring right wing Margaret Thatcher government. So several groups of unemployed workers in the north (hardest hit) decided to recreate the march. As they got near to London they passed through Slough, Berkshire, where Eton College is situated. Eton is most exclusive private school in England for the children of the wealthiest and most privileged. Both David Cameron (former Prime Minister) and the just ousted, Boris Johnson, still clinging on to the position at time of writing are both ex alumni. As the march passed through, the students came out of the school and started taunting, insulting and trowing stones at the marchers. Fights broke out, a riot ensued. When the police arrived the Eton boys ran back in to the college and safety. The working class marchers were given the blame, many were arrested and they were portrayed in the right wing dominated media as hooligans and scum. This song tells the story of that event.
Sort of how the BLM protesters were treated when they were marching. The police beat and arrested them, and the media tried to blame and belittle them. Got it.
86 87 I turned away from us music, radio everything, the Jam I joyfully turned too , including alot of British punk and Oi! I just couldn’t stand the top 40 back then. From then on I rarely listen or acknowledge regular music and have got a lot of crap from people even friends. But I lov what I get to listen to , I think that’s why I was gravitated towards your reaction channel. Initially I was trying to find a video from Aus Rotten and a reaction video appeared. I haven’t heard of these reaction videos but watching that one was mind opening. And then your channel popped up a lot and I liked what you had to say and at the time the Stranglers was getting a lot of attention
When my daughter was young, maybe 3 or 4 years old, she saw Paul Weller on TV performing and asked, 'Who is this man, and why is he so angry?'. All I could say was, 'This is Paul Weller, and that is his job.'.
Setting Sons as a whole was brilliant and as a teen I was deeply moved by it as were my peers. I don't think I would get it quite so much now I'm 55, and seen and been exposed to the horror in this world.
I lived near Windsor when this was around. We were smart dressed working lads (mods) & the Eton boys were in town with there silly school clothes. Posh school boys in the Government 🇬🇧🇬🇧👍👍
Thanks for playing this, I was a teenager in England when this band were about. Mods! Paul Weller, the singer has become a huge hit since then. Listen to some of his stuff its great. And he is still a Mod! and a very cool dude
Good reaction! Yeah, the song is about the poshest school in the UK. Eton. It’s where all the Prime Ministers go, like David Cameron, and Boris Johnson. And lots of other politicians. The frontman, and songwriter, is Paul Weller. He’s your everyman working-class guy. So he doesn’t like the guys who go to Eton, and is taking the piss a bit, whilst also critiquing them. Great song! If you want to get deeper into The Jam, I’d recommend “Going Underground” next. Probably their most famous song. Very upbeat if that’s what you’re after.
Paul Weller, the supposed working-class hero, sent his own kids to expensive private school. The bass player in The Jam, Bruce Foxton, sent his own kid to Eton Private School. The Jam were frauds and hypocrites.
From what i remember, it was about a march for the rights for jobs by the working class, as it went past the Eton collage it kicks off with the people on the march because the Eton lads were laughing at them ? Pretty much a battle of the classes war between the posh and the working class
The story is a bunch of working class lads had ventured out of London and were in a pub where they encountered a group of "hooray henrys" (upper class twits) a few pints later a "Barney" ensues where the proletariat discovers the "twits" are actually the Eton Rugby team and hence a bunch of double hard bastards. They do not do well in this encounter.
Eton is one of the most exclusive public (private) schools in the UK, with annual fees running at just over 46,000 pounds a year, when the average salary is around 32,000 a year. Roughly 20 Prime Ministers were educated at Eton and it is a potent symbol of the self-perpetuating oligarchy that governs the UK.
Hanier's, the only thing I would add in regard to, The Jam - specifically, Paul Weller (Guitars & Vocals) - he wrote the first five albums before the age of twenty four. He is (to my mind) one of the most prolific politically & socially aware British composers of the Twentieth century. Weller's solo material is even better.
The Jam were traditionally a Mod group and were followed by the Mods, they were an equivalent of a motorcycle club except they rode scooters, they date back to the 50's. To get an idea of that era and tradition the film Quadraphenia explains it all.
I wouldn't call The Jam a "Mod Group",they evolved from the punk era remember, but after 'All Mod Cons' and the second wave of "Mod" their following increased among the new mods.
@@normandavidtidiman9918 I actually agree with all you have said you are right, early years influences were the sex pixtols and the clash. Later years The Who. I guess there was a mixture of music.
Found it amusing that Weller was shocked to find Eton graduate PM David Cameron say this was one of his favorites,...that's what happens when your trendy political message is hidden in a great tune, catchy chorus, and vocals of the 'meaningful' words are not clear to young listeners in particular. Most of us just hum along and join in at "Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles!" LOL. Poor guy tries to write a class war song and ends up making a marching tune for his enemies :)
Prime Minister, Mayor of London, Chancellor of the exchequer, Archbishop of Canterbury. The list of ex-Eton school boys goes on and on. The Country is virtually run by them.
Well done you two for persevering. You did look a little like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Try Paul Weller in his early solo stuff after the jam and after his style council days. It’s musically excellent and he really matured in his musical composition skills. He is excellent at taking lyrical snap shots of Britain.
Its a classic song, but the irony is that Paul Weller sent his own kids to posh private schools. The bass player in The Jam, Bruce Foxton, sent his kid to Eton, the elitist school in the song.
Great song, which I have loved since being a kid; although I didn't really understand what it was fully about until I was older. Eton is one of the posh schools for the rich and entitled, who were then put in charge of the working class soldiers during WWW One. That never ended well for either of the groups. However, even without knowing anything, I still loved and love the song even now. I suppose it was made just for the UK audience, and so we can hear every word perfectly. Also, which I think, it was a song about the war and a very brutal war. So the clash and confusion adds to the songs effects.
We knew about the special pressure put on English society in school. Almost every band from there has a song asking why. But this story is a bit less talked about outside of England. Where schools are specifically lined up for the "more important". This also further explains the situation there. Music allows us to talk to each other sometimes. That's why Hip Hop was so dangerous to the status quo in the late 80's. Rappers realised that they could tell their stories, so they did. And that forced society to look at black culture a different way.
The line you talk about at the end, "composed a revolutionary symphony, then went to bed with a charming young thing". This was Paul Weller having a go at Joe Strummer from The Clash, Weller despised Strummer's fake anti establishment views and he let it be known in these lyrics.
It's inspired in part by a disturbance which took place in the late 70's between those taking part in a "Right to Work" protest, and those attending Eton School. That era marked the end of the Labour "Winter of Discontent" government, and the advent of the Thatcher one. So, again it's Paul Weller writing about social inequality.
Do you remember the power cuts I do as a lad, I'm an old git now! Living in Yorkshire I was scared by the Ripper, and we had cheap food but my mum was an expert at making the inexpensive wonderful. Three day week and all that. Today is lazy and people are workshy, in those days you did any old shit and was glad of it. I hope you saw the Jam live, they were the business.
Eton is a very elitist private school, which was attended by many Prime Ministers etc... Lately both Boris Johnson and David Cameron attended. I think in all, this one school/college has produced 20 Prime Ministers. The Jam were from Woking, a very working class town, not far from Eton. Paul Weller realised that as part of the school curriculum the attendees were trained in using fire arms. Paul thought it was interesting that the "posh" were trained to shoot. Apparently there was a march, a demonstration that went past the school for "The right to work" (unemployment figures were high in 1979, as Margaret Thatcher was swept to power). As the demonstration went past the school, a camera focused in on the boys at the school, sneering and laughing . David Cameron started at Eton in 1979 ironically. The fees for Eton are $68,000 per academic year. So, there you go.
@@philjones45 Or Stanford, or Yale. And the secret societies, too. Who were these future world leaders connected with at these prestigious schools? I honestly don't know if that happens in Canada. I have no immediate knowledge of any schools here that are like that. Seems likely, considering.
As others are saying the writer is Paul Weller, later of The Style Council, then a stellar personal career. Check Big Boss groove from the Style Council then You do something to me from his own backlog… Giant talent.
The whole album was a concept album about a Britain which had erupted in Civil War. This song has the rich public school boys going off to fight the workers.
Guys, this song reflects a time of unemployment in Britain, industry and the economy falling, really it was dire! In this country we are governed by the ruling class! the song is actually a protest song against what happen to a group of Right to Work marchers going past the most prestigious school in the country, the senior Etonian boys who probably all played rugby for Eton jeered and mocked the marchers, a fight broke out and the marchers came off the worst! alot of people just don't get it, including the likes of David Cameron and Boris Johnson who both attended Eton. The Jam reflected this period of Britain so well, as did a lot of new wave bands including the likes of The Specials. God bless them all and peace!
While all of their LPs were released Stateside the Jam NEVER caught on with us Yanks. Their sound was just too British for American tastes. While they had several Top 10 hits in the UK and Europe the never amounted to more than "cult" status here. Their only Top 40 US hit was "a town called Malice" (1982)... and THAT peaked at #38!
Weller is a complex character. Angry, soulful, articulate, controversial, awkward...and the most relevant musical artist in British music history. Weller was fortunate to have Buckler and Foxton to drive that wall of sound that lifted him. I saw their early gigs at The 100 and the final days at Wembley...what a ride. PS. Listen to the Australian band vSpy vSpy for same flavour
Eton Boys boarding school has its own officer cadets unit, with rifles kept on the school grounds for drill and musketry practice. Along with teaching the boys elitism, snobbery, the correct way of dressing in a frock coat and bow tie and occasionally top hats, nationalism and how to be ruthless capitalists, ruthless senior civil servants and ruthless politicians, they also teach them how to kill people, such as workers in the event of any civil war or more likely fascist coup organised by some of the school's Old Boys (alumnii). So it's about that. The British class system, and the dangerous abnormality of the people schools like Eton produce, that the rest of us pay for and have to suffer under.
I was 16 years old when this song charted & already a Jam fan. I wouldn't expect Americans to "get it". The song's attitude is very much of it's time in Britain & Paul Weller, to me at least, is a genius - Best Jam album?....All Mod Cons - No doubt about it!
Yep , I could have written that . Modern World LP's a close 2nd . The Jam got me into punk when I was 16 , so many other great UK bands but they were always #1. 🛵
There are a lot of people like that, it turns out. A right-wing guy in the States commented on Rage Against The Machine that he liked them more when they weren't doing political music. Tom Morello responded, asking which songs of theirs weren't political so he could remove them from their lineup.
@@hanierfamily yeah ironic isn't it. The Jam were very political over here. Going Underground is the same. Even P Weller laughed about David Cameron saying that👍😀
Perhaps a bit more study on the politics of the day. We didn't do any research into the history surrounding the song. Maybe that's something to get into as we get into the more political songs.
Good effort Guys, for trying to make sense of the lyrics from possibly one of the most English of 70s Punk Bands The lyrics and the political হ references can't make much sense to you guys obviously! Just connect with the music!! X
Interesting reaction…However, you said that “nobody wants to go to a war zone”. In fact in the UK just about every soldier, sailor and airmen certainly want to go to a war zone at least once during their service. It’s what they train for and what they aspire to.
Without a knowledge of the British class system and British political and social history, which only the most Anglophile of non Britons will have, this song will have little resonance or make much sense. It was quite impressive how much the listeners were able to intuit given the lack of context.
We don't know the exact history of British politics but, Canada has the parliamentary system, like Britain, and I (Chris) am always interested in the goings on of the Empires. US and Britain included.
From an album called setting sons .ww1 sadly he died . Find enclosed one son ,one medal and a note to say he won. You guys don't get it at the moment, don't blame you, its all very British. Kind regards Martin.
We're learning about it. We've been comparing it to North America, and how in the States there are certain schools that most American leaders come from.
@@hanierfamily I beg of you not to think I was being cynical with you . I tip my hat to you for listening. You are lovely people and in England you can get knighted by chucking a nice few quid to the government. In the USA it seems like you become President if you are rich, but the poor bastard on the battlefield is the one who pays in the end .the world over. All my love and kind regards Martin.
For me, this song is political and is even more relevant today, probably not just in the UK but in America too. It's about how people born to privilege and power can manipulate the lower classes for their own ends. Nigel Farrage and Donald Trump spring to mind. Both public educated, with privileged upbringings pretending to be on the side of the common person, but really, they are using people to get what they want. The line "What a catalyst you turned out to be, loaded the guns and ran off home for your tea" perfectly sums up Trump and Farrage in today's world.
It ain't a fun song. Eton is a very expensive private school. The song is about a march for the unemployed that went by Eton school. Boys from Eton school went along to jeer at the marchers. A fight broke out. That's what the song is about.
If you’re going to do this channel at least have the decency to have the lyrics alongside and do a bit of research on the English class system. It’s total hubris if you ignore what Weller is trying to say. This isn’t Prince or Britney Spears.
The best songwriter of the last 50 years Paul Steele wrote this and countless others.. a lyrical genius and a monster songwriter..Paul weller not Paul Steele lol
Sorry guys, no offence, but there is no way on earth an American can understand or relate to 80% of what this band has to say. It’s just tooo British. Other people have tried to explain it to you. It’s nothing about war. It’s about tge class system that was prevalent in the U.K. for 100s Of years. It’s about class struggle. But it’s also at its most basic level about a guy and his friends having a fist fight with tge local ‘posh’ school. Elton is a very very expensive School in England. Famous for having royalty and politicians attending it. The richest most privileged children in England go there. It’s next door to where the Queen lives in Windsor Castle. Anyway the line ‘what can you do against a tie and aa crest’ is about the ‘old school tie’ system in England where if you went to a certain school when you grew up other people who went to the same school would give you privileges in life later on, just because they went to the same school. Business contracts etc. it’s saying, what can lower working class people do who never had money to go to the best schools do to compete in life and get ahead in the world. All they could do is when they were kids was to meet up and fight. But even then they underestimate the posh kids as although they are spoilt and rich they also had organised sports and played rugby so they were tougher than you might think. But you still have to keep up the fight and struggle. Anyway. I don’t think you could get a more English band than this. Even English people who weren’t there in the 70s would find it hard to understand a lot of the ‘politics’. An intelligent band in the same vein as the other extremely English rockers with something to say, The Clash.
We are learning about England's history and politics in all these songs. We were hoping that what we didn't know could be explained to us. These songs are important to you because they speak of what life was like at that time. And we only get a taste of it, true. But it won't be forgotten if we all pass it down for others to enjoy.
Like most "socialist" commentators Weller is more of a "do as i say not as i do" At least 5 of his children were educated at Private schools. Personally speaking i don't agree with private education. The amount of money in your bank account should not dictate the quality of your childs education. It should be a level playing field.
So, this song is about the British class system, and how it is so ingrained that however hard you fight, or however hard you try, the only way to get to the other side of the road is to be born over there. A great song by a great band.
Eton produced more Prime Ministers than any other school put together. And not usually with great results (see David Cameron, Boris Johnson). This was written after he'd read a news item on Eton pupils getting tangled up with people on a march for jobs I believe. Very much about the British class system.
Even now in the UK we have a government full of wealthy public schoolboys running the show - nothing has really changed since this was released. "What chance have you got against a tie and a crest"
They are ever careful not to let too many of us working folks get too high a standing in society.
mate ur whistling at a dog.... its not going to understand. Did you see the vacant cast in their eyes?
Agreed. Absolutely clueless. She’s boppin along to a beat whilst Weller dissects the English class system.
@@mickconners9377 it’s a good song and wills vocals are hard to hear on first listen. They’re yanks and appreciate the jam I think that’s a good thing
Kia Ora hello it's heath Holly hell I've been going through your back catalogue HOW MUCH HAS CHANGED your production has 💥 EXPLODED 100% BETTER sound/video and your delivery 👍 what a change a year makes WELL DONE MY FRIENDS 🤘👏👏👏
Ok, the lyrics are extremely political. I'll try to keep the explanation as brief as possible. Background. In the 1930's, during the depression, unemployed ship workers from the shipyards of Tyneside (NE England) marched to London to petition the government, who were ignoring their plight, for work/jobs. This was called the Jarrow Crusade and is a very famous political/historical landmark here. Fast forward 50 years (1980's) and Britain is in that situation again under the uncaring right wing Margaret Thatcher government. So several groups of unemployed workers in the north (hardest hit) decided to recreate the march. As they got near to London they passed through Slough, Berkshire, where Eton College is situated. Eton is most exclusive private school in England for the children of the wealthiest and most privileged. Both David Cameron (former Prime Minister) and the just ousted, Boris Johnson, still clinging on to the position at time of writing are both ex alumni. As the march passed through, the students came out of the school and started taunting, insulting and trowing stones at the marchers. Fights broke out, a riot ensued. When the police arrived the Eton boys ran back in to the college and safety. The working class marchers were given the blame, many were arrested and they were portrayed in the right wing dominated media as hooligans and scum. This song tells the story of that event.
That's it in a nutshell, Tim....I remember it well.
Sort of how the BLM protesters were treated when they were marching. The police beat and arrested them, and the media tried to blame and belittle them. Got it.
Excellent explanation 👏👏👏
The song was written before the 80s
This was released in 1979.
That Bruce Foxton bass. wow!
It’s an iconic timeless song, I was about 16yrs old when it came out, I still have the single on picture cover!! Love it!! 👍🇬🇧
86 87 I turned away from us music, radio everything, the Jam I joyfully turned too , including alot of British punk and Oi! I just couldn’t stand the top 40 back then. From then on I rarely listen or acknowledge regular music and have got a lot of crap from people even friends. But I lov what I get to listen to , I think that’s why I was gravitated towards your reaction channel. Initially I was trying to find a video from Aus Rotten and a reaction video appeared. I haven’t heard of these reaction videos but watching that one was mind opening. And then your channel popped up a lot and I liked what you had to say and at the time the Stranglers was getting a lot of attention
When my daughter was young, maybe 3 or 4 years old, she saw Paul Weller on TV performing and asked, 'Who is this man, and why is he so angry?'. All I could say was, 'This is Paul Weller, and that is his job.'.
The best possible answer!
Not a fun song but a protest song written by one of England's greatest musicians.
Setting Sons as a whole was brilliant and as a teen I was deeply moved by it as were my peers. I don't think I would get it quite so much now I'm 55, and seen and been exposed to the horror in this world.
@@martinotoole9959 Yep. They send you home in a pine overcoat with a letter to your mum. Not many would write lyrics like that now.
Manic street preachers...you stole the sun from my heart
I lived near Windsor when this was around. We were smart dressed working lads (mods) & the Eton boys were in town with there silly school clothes. Posh school boys in the Government 🇬🇧🇬🇧👍👍
Thanks for playing this, I was a teenager in England when this band were about. Mods! Paul Weller, the singer has become a huge hit since then. Listen to some of his stuff its great. And he is still a Mod! and a very cool dude
The Mod Father
Good reaction! Yeah, the song is about the poshest school in the UK. Eton. It’s where all the Prime Ministers go, like David Cameron, and Boris Johnson. And lots of other politicians. The frontman, and songwriter, is Paul Weller. He’s your everyman working-class guy. So he doesn’t like the guys who go to Eton, and is taking the piss a bit, whilst also critiquing them. Great song!
If you want to get deeper into The Jam, I’d recommend “Going Underground” next. Probably their most famous song. Very upbeat if that’s what you’re after.
Paul Weller, the supposed working-class hero, sent his own kids to expensive private school. The bass player in The Jam, Bruce Foxton, sent his own kid to Eton Private School. The Jam were frauds and hypocrites.
From what i remember, it was about a march for the rights for jobs by the working class, as it went past the Eton collage
it kicks off with the people on the march because the Eton lads were laughing at them ? Pretty much a battle of the classes war between the posh and the working class
One of the best mod bands ever
Kia ora hello you just got another sub you have reawakened some VERY GOOD OLD MEMORY'S chur chur cuzzies Thank you
Still relevant even to this day.
I used to think this song was called "Eating Trifles" when I was little.
We do like a good trifle.
The story is a bunch of working class lads had ventured out of London and were in a pub where they encountered a group of "hooray henrys" (upper class twits) a few pints later a "Barney" ensues where the proletariat discovers the "twits" are actually the Eton Rugby team and hence a bunch of double hard bastards. They do not do well in this encounter.
Eton is one of the most exclusive public (private) schools in the UK, with annual fees running at just over 46,000 pounds a year, when the average salary is around 32,000 a year. Roughly 20 Prime Ministers were educated at Eton and it is a potent symbol of the self-perpetuating oligarchy that governs the UK.
Newcastle city hall October 1980 . The Jam at their peak. Best gig I ever went to. I recommend you watch it.
I used to listen to this song when I was in high school. really nostalgic
Hanier's, the only thing I would add in regard to, The Jam - specifically, Paul Weller (Guitars & Vocals) - he wrote the first five albums before the age of twenty four. He is (to my mind) one of the most prolific politically & socially aware British composers of the Twentieth century. Weller's solo material is even better.
The Jam were traditionally a Mod group and were followed by the Mods, they were an equivalent of a motorcycle club except they rode scooters, they date back to the 50's. To get an idea of that era and tradition the film Quadraphenia explains it all.
I wouldn't call The Jam a "Mod Group",they evolved from the punk era remember, but after 'All Mod Cons' and the second wave of "Mod" their following increased among the new mods.
@@normandavidtidiman9918 Paul Weller- " I am still a mod and I will always be a mod"
@@AnglOsAxOn2 Doesn't make The Jam a Mod group
@@normandavidtidiman9918 I actually agree with all you have said you are right, early years influences were the sex pixtols and the clash. Later years The Who. I guess there was a mixture of music.
Eating trifle, eating trifle!
Found it amusing that Weller was shocked to find Eton graduate PM David Cameron say this was one of his favorites,...that's what happens when your trendy political message is hidden in a great tune, catchy chorus, and vocals of the 'meaningful' words are not clear to young listeners in particular.
Most of us just hum along and join in at "Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles!" LOL.
Poor guy tries to write a class war song and ends up making a marching tune for his enemies :)
Great back in the 80s we played this, in a covers band called Choir Boys
Prime Minister, Mayor of London, Chancellor of the exchequer, Archbishop of Canterbury. The list of ex-Eton school boys goes on and on. The Country is virtually run by them.
Well done you two for persevering. You did look a little like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Try Paul Weller in his early solo stuff after the jam and after his style council days. It’s musically excellent and he really matured in his musical composition skills. He is excellent at taking lyrical snap shots of Britain.
Well done? This pair don't know their right foot from their left ear.
English rose the jam quite simply the best love song ever written by Paul seller
Its a classic song, but the irony is that Paul Weller sent his own kids to posh private schools. The bass player in The Jam, Bruce Foxton, sent his kid to Eton, the elitist school in the song.
Great song, which I have loved since being a kid; although I didn't really understand what it was fully about until I was older. Eton is one of the posh schools for the rich and entitled, who were then put in charge of the working class soldiers during WWW One. That never ended well for either of the groups. However, even without knowing anything, I still loved and love the song even now. I suppose it was made just for the UK audience, and so we can hear every word perfectly. Also, which I think, it was a song about the war and a very brutal war. So the clash and confusion adds to the songs effects.
We knew about the special pressure put on English society in school. Almost every band from there has a song asking why. But this story is a bit less talked about outside of England. Where schools are specifically lined up for the "more important". This also further explains the situation there. Music allows us to talk to each other sometimes. That's why Hip Hop was so dangerous to the status quo in the late 80's. Rappers realised that they could tell their stories, so they did. And that forced society to look at black culture a different way.
The line you talk about at the end, "composed a revolutionary symphony, then went to bed with a charming young thing". This was Paul Weller having a go at Joe Strummer from The Clash, Weller despised Strummer's fake anti establishment views and he let it be known in these lyrics.
Possibly a reply to the Clash’s dig at the Jam’s suits in White Man in Hammersmith Palais.
"Eton Rifles" IS about a war! Half of the LP "Setting Sons" is about friends who meet up with each other after a nuclear war!
What chance have you got against a tie and a crest? Still very little if any.
eton top school for toffs,prince ahrry and william went there
It's inspired in part by a disturbance which took place in the late 70's between those taking part in a "Right to Work" protest, and those attending Eton School. That era marked the end of the Labour "Winter of Discontent" government, and the advent of the Thatcher one. So, again it's Paul Weller writing about social inequality.
Do you remember the power cuts I do as a lad, I'm an old git now! Living in Yorkshire I was scared by the Ripper, and we had cheap food but my mum was an expert at making the inexpensive wonderful. Three day week and all that. Today is lazy and people are workshy, in those days you did any old shit and was glad of it. I hope you saw the Jam live, they were the business.
Eton is a very elitist private school, which was attended by many Prime Ministers etc... Lately both Boris Johnson and David Cameron attended. I think in all, this one school/college has produced 20 Prime Ministers. The Jam were from Woking, a very working class town, not far from Eton. Paul Weller realised that as part of the school curriculum the attendees were trained in using fire arms. Paul thought it was interesting that the "posh" were trained to shoot. Apparently there was a march, a demonstration that went past the school for "The right to work" (unemployment figures were high in 1979, as Margaret Thatcher was swept to power). As the demonstration went past the school, a camera focused in on the boys at the school, sneering and laughing . David Cameron started at Eton in 1979 ironically. The fees for Eton are $68,000 per academic year. So, there you go.
I wonder if there are schools like that in North America. I'm sure that happens at universities, for sure.
@@hanierfamily how many Presidents were educated at Harvard? Same in Canada probably.
@@philjones45 Or Stanford, or Yale. And the secret societies, too. Who were these future world leaders connected with at these prestigious schools? I honestly don't know if that happens in Canada. I have no immediate knowledge of any schools here that are like that. Seems likely, considering.
Eton isn’t a university like Yale or Harvard. Think 11-18 year olds then onto Oxford or Cambridge
And it’s Cameron’s favourite song!
Down in a Tube Station at Midnight. I suggest you choose the video with lyrics to understand how well Paul Weller can write a song.
As others are saying the writer is Paul Weller, later of The Style Council, then a stellar personal career. Check Big Boss groove from the Style Council then You do something to me from his own backlog… Giant talent.
The whole album was a concept album about a Britain which had erupted in Civil War. This song has the rich public school boys going off to fight the workers.
Eaten trifle... I have their album 'Snap' on vinyl. Superb
Guys, this song reflects a time of unemployment in Britain, industry and the economy falling, really it was dire! In this country we are governed by the ruling class! the song is actually a protest song against what happen to a group of Right to Work marchers going past the most prestigious school in the country, the senior Etonian boys who probably all played rugby for Eton jeered and mocked the marchers, a fight broke out and the marchers came off the worst! alot of people just don't get it, including the likes of David Cameron and Boris Johnson who both attended Eton. The Jam reflected this period of Britain so well, as did a lot of new wave bands including the likes of The Specials. God bless them all and peace!
While all of their LPs were released Stateside the Jam NEVER caught on with us Yanks. Their sound was just too British for American tastes. While they had several Top 10 hits in the UK and Europe the never amounted to more than "cult" status here. Their only Top 40 US hit was "a town called Malice" (1982)... and THAT peaked at #38!
Weller is a complex character. Angry, soulful, articulate, controversial, awkward...and the most relevant musical artist in British music history. Weller was fortunate to have Buckler and Foxton to drive that wall of sound that lifted him.
I saw their early gigs at The 100 and the final days at Wembley...what a ride.
PS. Listen to the Australian band vSpy vSpy for same flavour
Spy vs Spy? A little help, here...
Check out The Jam little boy soldiers , in the crowd & away from the numbers
Great choice and band.
Eating trifles eating trifles.
Eton Boys boarding school has its own officer cadets unit, with rifles kept on the school grounds for drill and musketry practice. Along with teaching the boys elitism, snobbery, the correct way of dressing in a frock coat and bow tie and occasionally top hats, nationalism and how to be ruthless capitalists, ruthless senior civil servants and ruthless politicians, they also teach them how to kill people, such as workers in the event of any civil war or more likely fascist coup organised by some of the school's Old Boys (alumnii). So it's about that. The British class system, and the dangerous abnormality of the people schools like Eton produce, that the rest of us pay for and have to suffer under.
In other words Arseholes.
Patrick get off the fence say what ya mean 😀
@@duncanemery6264 I'll do better.
Eton lost a higher percentage of old boys in WW1 than any other group.
Great reaction to Eton Rifles by The Jam! When you can, check out "News of the World" by them!
Why check out one of their weaker moments?
This song is all about ...eating trifles
I was 16 years old when this song charted & already a Jam fan. I wouldn't expect Americans to "get it". The song's attitude is very much of it's time in Britain & Paul Weller, to me at least, is a genius - Best Jam album?....All Mod Cons - No doubt about it!
Yep , I could have written that . Modern World LP's a close 2nd . The Jam got me into punk when I was 16 , so many other great UK bands but they were always #1. 🛵
Tune
Can you do “The Bitterest Pill” by The Jam it’s completely different to songs they normally do.
These two haven't got a clue!!
Our ex PM David Cameron said it's one of his favourite songs. He's obviously never listened to it properly🤣
There are a lot of people like that, it turns out. A right-wing guy in the States commented on Rage Against The Machine that he liked them more when they weren't doing political music. Tom Morello responded, asking which songs of theirs weren't political so he could remove them from their lineup.
@@hanierfamily yeah ironic isn't it. The Jam were very political over here. Going Underground is the same. Even P Weller laughed about David Cameron saying that👍😀
Eton is a very very upper class public school , taking the piss out of the generals who all came from public schools and didnt do much fighting lol
It's about poor fighting with the rich from Eton.
whoooooooosh....lol
rumors of mick talbot from style council playing keyboard , about upper class school boys
Lost in translation methinks. Great record which I bought when released n still have. Bruce Foxton did a stint with SLF who are also fantastic 👏
Perhaps a bit more study on the politics of the day. We didn't do any research into the history surrounding the song. Maybe that's something to get into as we get into the more political songs.
"SLF" ~ Stiff Little Fingers ~ Punk Rock outfit from Northern Ireland, Haniers.
@@andrewtongue7084 What song?
Might I suggest, 'Barbed Wire Love', or 'Johnny Was' as a starting point...
@@andrewtongue7084 Alternative Ulster
For anyone not familiar with The Jam, I'd probably recommend "That's Entertainment" or "Smithers Jones" instead.
You're listening to the UK's greatest songwriter and band.
U just took the words out of my mouth, or rather, u wrote what i was going to say. And imo eton rifles the greatest song of all time.
I love the jam and weller have done since school but joe strummer and the clash top them.
Good effort Guys, for trying to make sense of the lyrics from possibly one of the most English of 70s Punk Bands
The lyrics and the political হ references can't make much sense to you guys obviously!
Just connect with the music!!
X
There was also a British punk band called Eater :P Fast songs
An interesting idea. I haven't really gone the punk route.
@@hanierfamily Oh. But the Jam was affiliated with punk. But they were also called mod, and maybe postpunk etc
Paul Weller lead singer other band style council are really good,try long hot summer
Interesting reaction…However, you said that “nobody wants to go to a war zone”. In fact in the UK just about every soldier, sailor and airmen certainly want to go to a war zone at least once during their service. It’s what they train for and what they aspire to.
Only idiots want to go to war.
Check out The Style Council - My Ever Changing Moods
Without a knowledge of the British class system and British political and social history, which only the most Anglophile of non Britons will have, this song will have little resonance or make much sense. It was quite impressive how much the listeners were able to intuit given the lack of context.
We don't know the exact history of British politics but, Canada has the parliamentary system, like Britain, and I (Chris) am always interested in the goings on of the Empires. US and Britain included.
A fun song.... mmmm
It’s about war - class war! Something that will never go away in the U.K. unfortunately
From an album called setting sons .ww1 sadly he died . Find enclosed one son ,one medal and a note to say he won. You guys don't get it at the moment, don't blame you, its all very British. Kind regards Martin.
We're learning about it. We've been comparing it to North America, and how in the States there are certain schools that most American leaders come from.
@@hanierfamily I beg of you not to think I was being cynical with you . I tip my hat to you for listening. You are lovely people and in England you can get knighted by chucking a nice few quid to the government. In the USA it seems like you become President if you are rich, but the poor bastard on the battlefield is the one who pays in the end .the world over. All my love and kind regards Martin.
You've done a lot of The Jam - but not the gem Thick as Thieves
The Jam are unapologetically an English working class band and I think that Americans probably find it hard to “get it”.
We are Canadian but it does take a bit to grasp some of the lyrics sometimes.
For me, this song is political and is even more relevant today, probably not just in the UK but in America too. It's about how people born to privilege and power can manipulate the lower classes for their own ends. Nigel Farrage and Donald Trump spring to mind. Both public educated, with privileged upbringings pretending to be on the side of the common person, but really, they are using people to get what they want. The line "What a catalyst you turned out to be, loaded the guns and ran off home for your tea" perfectly sums up Trump and Farrage in today's world.
It ain't a fun song. Eton is a very expensive private school. The song is about a march for the unemployed that went by Eton school. Boys from Eton school went along to jeer at the marchers. A fight broke out. That's what the song is about.
If you’re going to do this channel at least have the decency to have the lyrics alongside and do a bit of research on the English class system. It’s total hubris if you ignore what Weller is trying to say. This isn’t Prince or Britney Spears.
You guys seemed lifeless 😮
I think this is the one where we noticed after that we were visibly tired. I think it was a heavy work day that evening. Sorry.
The best songwriter of the last 50 years Paul Steele wrote this and countless others.. a lyrical genius and a monster songwriter..Paul weller not Paul Steele lol
Paul Steele?
@@mightyV444 Paul weller ... ha damn autocorrect
@@e.m.b2834 - Oh! Okay! 😄 I only know _Michael_ Steele, from The Bangles! 😄
Sorry guys, no offence, but there is no way on earth an American can understand or relate to 80% of what this band has to say. It’s just tooo British. Other people have tried to explain it to you. It’s nothing about war. It’s about tge class system that was prevalent in the U.K. for 100s Of years. It’s about class struggle. But it’s also at its most basic level about a guy and his friends having a fist fight with tge local ‘posh’ school. Elton is a very very expensive School in England. Famous for having royalty and politicians attending it. The richest most privileged children in England go there. It’s next door to where the Queen lives in Windsor Castle. Anyway the line ‘what can you do against a tie and aa crest’ is about the ‘old school tie’ system in England where if you went to a certain school when you grew up other people who went to the same school would give you privileges in life later on, just because they went to the same school. Business contracts etc. it’s saying, what can lower working class people do who never had money to go to the best schools do to compete in life and get ahead in the world. All they could do is when they were kids was to meet up and fight. But even then they underestimate the posh kids as although they are spoilt and rich they also had organised sports and played rugby so they were tougher than you might think. But you still have to keep up the fight and struggle. Anyway. I don’t think you could get a more English band than this. Even English people who weren’t there in the 70s would find it hard to understand a lot of the ‘politics’. An intelligent band in the same vein as the other extremely English rockers with something to say, The Clash.
We are learning about England's history and politics in all these songs. We were hoping that what we didn't know could be explained to us. These songs are important to you because they speak of what life was like at that time. And we only get a taste of it, true. But it won't be forgotten if we all pass it down for others to enjoy.
Posh people from Eton causing wars and the working class paying with there lives..... very basic description
Like most "socialist" commentators Weller is more of a "do as i say not as i do"
At least 5 of his children were educated at Private schools. Personally speaking i don't agree with private education. The amount of money in your bank account should not dictate the quality of your childs education. It should be a level playing field.