THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

958-The Ruts-Staring at the Rude Boys.

1980-Number 22 single.

Best Bit-At 1.59. Did your mother never tell you it’s rude to stare.

The Ruts were formed in London, England, in 1977, by Malcolm Owen, (1953-1980) (vocals) Paul Fox, (1951-2007) (guitar) John ‘Seggs’ Jennings, (bass) and Dave Ruffy (drums.) The Ruts played a mix of ‘Punk Rock,’ ‘Reggae Rock,’ and Ska Punk,’ and were one of many artists who were championed by the legendary DJ John Peel (1939-2004) (see also best songs 435) on his BBC Radio 1 sessions programme. The Ruts lead singer Malcolm Owen had suffered from Heroin addiction for the majority of his adult life, and as the group were approaching the height of their success he died of a Heroin overdose on July 14th, 1980, at the age of 26. The last single recorded with Owen as lead singer was the follow up to ‘Staring at the Rude Boys,’ it was ‘West One (Shine on Me’) which would eventually peak at Number 43 in the UK. The Ruts were asked to perform the song on the BBC television programme ‘Top of the Pops,’ which the band refused, as ‘Top of the Pops’ insisted that group member John ‘Seggs’ Jennings who had now taken over the vocal duties mime Owen’s vocal part, which the band found distasteful.

After the death of Owen, The Ruts decided to continue as ‘Ruts D.C.’ standing for the Italian term ‘da capo,’ meaning ‘back to the beginning’ in a different musical vein. ‘Ruts D.C.’ would remain active until splitting in 1983. In 2007 the band reformed to play a benefit concert for founding member Paul Fox following his diagnosis as having lung cancer, Fox died later that year, and at the time of writing ‘Ruts D.C.’ remain active, with the two original living members having been joined by Leigh Heggarty (guitar) since 2011.

The Ruts are remembered for being vigorous opponents of racism, and played several benefit gigs for ‘Rock Against Racism’ (RAR) As ‘The Ruts’ they released two Albums in 1979 and 1980, and then as ‘Ruts D.C.’ there have been a further six Albums issued between 1981-2022. The discography also includes four official live Albums, and two ‘John Peel’ sessions compilations. As ‘The Ruts’ they released six singles between 1979-1980, with four of those songs making the UK top 40, with ‘Babylon’s Burning’ charting the highest at Number 7 in 1979. As ‘Ruts D.C.’ they have issued eight singles between 1981-2020, with none of them charting.

‘Staring at the Rude Boys’ is track 2 on side 1 of The Ruts second Album ‘Grin & Bear It,’ which was first issued in December 1980, with all four band members receiving the writing and production credits, with Tony Wilson also credited as co-producer. ‘Grin & Bear It’ featured a compilation of singles, ‘B’-sides, and live performances that had been recorded at the ‘Marquee Club’ in London. In 1988 the American ‘Hardcore’ band ‘Dag Nasty’ covered ‘Staring at the Rude Boys,’ on their third studio Album ‘Field Day.’ The other significant cover version was by the English ‘Hardcore Punk’ band the ‘Gallows’ who covered the song as ‘Staring at the Rude Bois,’ featuring Lethal Bizzle (see also best songs 813) for their 2007 debut studio Album ‘Orchestra of Wolves,’ the song became a hit in the UK, reaching Number 31 in 2007.

‘Staring at the Rude Boys’ tells the story of three different groups of people all menacingly eyeing each other up in night club, where loud music is being played. The three distinct groups are the ‘Rude Boys,’ the ‘Skinheads,’ and ‘the Punks.’ all of which was not an unusual sight to see back in 1980. According to the songs lyrics,’The ‘Rude Boys’ are dancing to some heavy heavy Ska,’ which was their choice of music. The Punks in the corner are speeding like a jet,’ this is a reference to amphetamines, a popular drug in Punk culture. A bunch of ‘B.M’s march in on ‘D.M’s, refers to ‘B.M.’ the abbreviation for the ‘British Movement,’ an extreme-right wing political group, with ties in the Skinhead community. Meanwhile, the ‘D.M’.s are Doc Martin boots, the footwear of choice for Punks, Skinheads, and their affiliated subcultures. Thankfully just before all hell breaks loose in the club, ‘Everyone leaves when the heavies arrive,’ this is a reference to the clubs security stepping in to ease the tensions.

‘It’s a very small world in the middle of a crowd, the room gets dark when the music gets loud. Treble cuts through, when the rhythm takes the bite, but there’s no room to move ’cause the floor is packed tight.’