THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

670-The Jam-The Eton Rifles.

1979-Number 3 single.

Best Bit-At 2.58. A song about class war, from a class act.

The Jam (see also best songs 94 and 59) were formed as far back as 1972 at ‘Sheerwater Secondary School,’ in Woking, Surrey, England, by the classic line up of Paul Weller, (vocals, lead guitar, bass guitar, and keyboards) and Rick Buckler, (drums, and percussion) Bruce Foxton, (vocals, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, and backing vocals) would join them in 1974. Between 1972-1976 there were five other group members, but it was the aforementioned three members who would stay the course, until The Jam split in 1982. Following the parting of the ways, Paul Weller went on to form ‘The Style Council’ in 1983, and then pursue a solo career from 1989.

Bruce Douglas Foxton was born on September 1st, 1955, in Woking, England, he is a singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Following the break up of The Jam, Foxton released his solo debut studio Album ‘Touch Sensitive,’ in 1984, which stalled at Number 68 on the UK Album chart. There were four singles released off of the Album, with ‘Freak,’ reaching Number 23 on the UK top 40, prior to the Albums release in 1983. Bruce Foxton has gone on to release a further three studio Albums between 2012-2017, and a total of seven singles, issued between 1983-2012. Between 1985-1986, Foxton once again joined forces with Rick Butler to form the short lived ‘Alternative Rock’ group ‘Sharp,’ along with Jimmy Edwards (1949-2015) on vocals. The trio issued two singles in 1986, and there was a compilation Album issued in 2002. In 1991 Foxton became an official member of the Northern Irish group ‘Stiff Little Fingers,’ with whom he would remain with for the next 15 years, playing on all of their final six studio Albums. In 2007, Foxton once again teamed up with Rick Butler, and members of Butler’s ‘Jam tribute band,’ ‘The Gift,’ to form ‘From the Jam.’ who at the time of writing remain active. Bruce Foxton sang lead vocals on two of the Jam’s hit singles, ‘News of the World,’ (1978-UK Number 27) and ‘David Watts,’ (1978-UK Number 25) he also wrote a number of The Jam’s recordings, including ‘News of the World,’ and ‘Smithers-Jones,’ which was issued as the ‘B’ side to ‘When You’re Young’ (1979-UK Number 17.) ‘Smithers-Jones,’ was later reworked with strings for ‘Setting Sons,’ the fourth studio Album by The Jam, from 1979.

‘The Eton Rifles’ was the only single released from The Jam’s fourth studio Album ‘Setting Sons,’ from November 1979, the song was written by Paul Weller, with the production credited to Vic Coppersmith-Heaven, (see also best songs 384 and 59) and The Jam. ‘The Eton Rifles’ which gave The Jam their first UK top 10 single, was the only one of their 18 singles to not have an official promotional music video recorded.

‘The Eton Rifles,’ like many of Paul Weller’s songs from around that time, is about the political happenings of that era.The lyrics recount the difficulties faced by the working class, in protesting against a system seen by Weller as being unjust. ‘The Eton Rifles’ tells of a street battle that Paul Weller had read about in a newspaper concerning a ‘rights to march’ through Slough in 1978, breaking off to attack pupils from the elite public school ‘Eton College,’ who had been jeering the lunchtime marchers. Paul Weller got the idea for the song after reading about a march in the June 17, 1978 edition of ‘The Socialist Worker’ newspaper. The article read, ‘Eton had never seen anything like it. ‘Right to Work’ marchers met ‘Rock Against Racism’ punks weaving through the streets of Eton behind ‘Crisis,’ a band pounding out driving Rock music from the back of a lorry. Two movements coming together outside Eton public school, heart of privilege and pomp. The chants, ‘Annihilate the National Front,’ fake upper-class accents, ‘What does one want – the Right to Work,’ ‘Eton boys rather naughty, Liverpool boys rather good.’ Pogoing in protest, as a giant silver spoon is presented to the Eton Head Boy. ‘I hope your jolly campaign gets you somewhere,’ he said.’ Paul Weller has said, ‘There was a lot of class hatred in my songs at the time. Eton Rifles would be an obvious example of that we used to go on Sunday drives with my uncle, and we’d drive through Eton, and I remember seeing the young chaps.,’

‘The Eton Rifles’ has some very clever lyrics. The opening line, ‘Sup up your beer and collect your fags, there’s a row going on down near Slough,’ is a cheeky way to start the song, as the word ‘fag,’ has a double meaning in England. It can be another word for ‘cigarettes,’ but an Eton schoolboy would more likely interpret it as a slang term for a young public schoolboy, who must perform chores for an older student.

‘Thought you were smart when you took them on, but you didn’t take a peep in their artillery room. All that rugby puts hairs on your chest, what chance have you got against a tie and a crest.’