THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

173-UB40-Food for Thought.

1980-Number 4 single.

Best-Bit-At 3.21. It’s a shame that the majority of the general public only really know UB40 for their cover versions, because they made some of the best original Reggae Music ever committed to vinyl (see also best songs 537.)

All three of UB40’s UK Number 1 singles have been cover versions, ‘Red Red Wine,’ (1983) ‘I Got You Babe,’ (1985) and ‘( I Can’t Help) Falling in Love with You’ (1993.) In total UB40 have seen 12 different members come and go, and they remain active, having released 20 studio Albums between 1980-2021, and 62 singles in the same time period. In the UK they have achieved 40 top 40 singles, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100 top 40 they have charted five times, with ‘Red Red Wine,’ and ‘( I Can’t Help) Falling in Love with You,’ both reaching Number 1. In the UK along with ‘Madness,’ (see also best songs 801 and 69) they both share the record for most weeks spent by a group in the top 40 in the 1980’s, with a total of 214 weeks each.

UB40 were formed in Birmingham, England, in 1978, they chose their name in reference to a form issued by the British Government’s department of employment to people claiming unemployment benefits. The designation UB40 stood for ‘U’nemployment ‘B’enefit Form 40’. In order to mark the fact that the group would no longer be claiming benefits, they named their debut Album ‘Signing Off.’

The writing credits for ‘Food for Thought’ are credited to all of the bands members at that time, and was produced by Bob Lamb, who in the 1970’s had been the drummer with the British Rock group the ‘Steve Gibbons Band.’ ‘Food for Thought’ was released as a double ‘A’ side along with ‘King,’ the band thought that ‘King’ would prove the more popular, but it was ‘Food for Thought’ that the radio stations, and club DJ’s picked up on.

The lyrics to ‘Food for Thought’ were written by the brothers Ali and Robin Campbell, with significant input from their father Ian Campbell, (1933-2012) who had been one of the most important figures of the British Folk Music revival during the 1960’s.The lyrics which are often misheard are some of the most harrowing ever to appear on a hit single, having been inspired by the massacre of Kampuchea, which was a state existing from 1975-1979 in what is now Cambodia. It was run by the Khmer Rouge, a Communist group that controlled the state with an iron fist, and murdered all who opposed it. The song is about third world poverty, and the politicians refusal to relieve famine. Robin Campbell wanted to call the song ‘The Christmas Song,’ until one of the bands roadies suggested ‘Food for Thought,’ UB40’s trumpet player Astro (1957-2021) has explained the songs meaning,’The song was basically about the hypocrisy of celebrating Christmas in the West. We’re eating and drinking more than we need. There’s so much surplus food, while millions of Africans were dying of hunger due to famine and third-world poverty. It was shocking. Politicians putting politics before people, leaving them to rely on charitable institutions.’ It has to be remembered that UB40 wrote and recorded ‘Food for Thought’ more than four years before Bob Geldof conceived ‘Band Aid.’ (see also best songs 455.)

‘Ivory Madonna dying in the dust, waiting for the manna coming from the west. Barren is her bosom, empty as her eyes, death a certain harvest scattered from the skies.’