Clash City Rockers: Difference between revisions

"Clash City Rockers"
"Clash City Rockers"
Single by The Clash
from the album The Clash (US ver.)
B-side	"Jail Guitar Doors"
Released	17 February 1978
Recorded	October–November 1977
Studio	CBS (London)
Genre	Punk rock
Length	3:55
Label	CBS
Songwriter(s)	Joe Strummer, Mick Jones
Producer(s)	Mickey Foote
The Clash singles chronology

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"Clash City Rockers" is a song by English rock band the Clash. It was first released in February 1978 as a single with the B-side "Jail Guitar Doors", the latter a re-worked version of a song from Joe Strummer's pub rock days. "Clash City Rockers" was the second of three non-album singles released between the group's eponymous first album in 1977 and their second album, Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978).^[2] It was later included as the opening track of the belated US version of the band's debut album.

Background

The song was first played live at Mont De Marsan (Landes, France), in August 1977, and recorded the same year in the band's October and November sessions at CBS Studios. Following an argument at the end of the band's Get Out of Control Tour, Paul Simonon and Mick Jones were not on speaking terms, leaving Joe Strummer as a middle-man, relaying instructions and insults from one to the other.^[2]^[3]

Composition

The Clash's first overt attempt at self-mythology, "Clash City Rockers" is, by and large, a song about positivity and moving forward, and revisits themes common in Clash songs of the era, specifically dead-end employment and having a purpose in life.^[4] Jones has said that the song "was one of the first numbers we did where we really began to stretch and experiment."^[5]

The middle part of the song is based on an old nursery rhyme, "Oranges and Lemons" ("You owe me a move say the bells of St. Groove"), and namechecks David Bowie, Gary Glitter and Prince Far-I. The irony of the line "when I am fitter say the bells of Gary Glitter" following Glitter's later scandal was not lost on Jones, who joked about it in the December 2003 issue of Uncut magazine: "The Gary Glitter lyric? Yeah, that was before the internet. [grins]"^{[citation needed]}

The line in the song about reggae artist Prince Far-I, "No one but you and I say the bells of Prince Far-I", once again shows the group's reggae influences.^[2] According to Strummer, the "rockers" in the song are not rock 'n' rollers: "I was talking about rockers which is a certain reggae rhythm".^[4]

Despite the reggae references, "Clash City Rockers" is a punk rock song with similarities to early songs by the Who.^[6] It reinforced the profile and image of the Clash and their fans as being a gang.^[4]

Recording

In December, producer Mickey Foote—Strummer's old sound-man from the 101'ers and producer of The Clash and "White Riot"—increased the speed of the tape for the finished master of the song, after manager Bernie Rhodes decided the song sounded "a bit flat". This technique, known as "varispeeding", rendered the song one semitone higher in pitch. Strummer and Jones were in Jamaica at the time, and when they heard the finished result, they fired Foote. With the exception of the 2000 re-issue of the US version of The Clash, the original version of the song (at the proper speed) has been used on every re-release since.^[4]^[6]

Paul Simonon told Uncut magazine in 2015 that the recording sessions on the song were strained due to an argument he had been having with Mick Jones: "I seem to remember that, when we did 'Clash City Rockers', him and me had had a row. I was in one corner of the studio and Mick was in the other. He had to tell Joe what the chords were so he could come over and tell me. The guy who was recording it didn’t know what was going on cos of this weird communication breakdown."^[5]

Track listing

All tracks written by Joe Strummer/Mick Jones.

7" vinyl

"Clash City Rockers" – 3:50
"Jail Guitar Doors" – 3:03

Personnel

The Clash

Joe Strummer – lead vocal, pianos
Mick Jones – guitars, backing vocals
Paul Simonon – bass guitar
Topper Headon – drums

Charts

Chart	Peak position	Date
UK Singles Chart^[7]^[8]	35	March 1978

References

^ Wyman, Bill (11 October 2017). "All 139 the Clash Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best". Vulture. New York. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c Needs, Kris (2005). Joe Strummer and the legend of The Clash. London: Plexus. pp. 105–106. ISBN 0-85965-348-X.
^ The Clash (2008). The Clash. London: Atlantic Books. p. 158. ISBN 9781843547884.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Salewicz, Chris (2007). Redemption Song - The Definitive Biography Of Joe Strummer. Great Britain: HarperCollins. p. 212. ISBN 9780007172122.
^ ^a ^b "The Clash's 30 best songs". Uncut. London. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
^ ^a ^b Fletcher, Tony (2012). The Clash - The Music That Matters. London: Omnibus Press. p. 33. ISBN 9781780383033.
^ "Artist: The Clash". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
^ "Clash Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2020.

Sources

Needs, Kris (2005). Joe Strummer and the legend of The Clash. London: Plexus. ISBN 9-780859-653480. OCLC 238821052.
Topping, Keith (2004) [2003]. The Complete Clash (2nd ed.). Richmond: Reynolds & Hearn. ISBN 1-903111-70-6. OCLC 63129186.

[wyman-1] Wyman, Bill (11 October 2017). "All 139 the Clash Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best". Vulture. New York. Retrieved 14 March 2023.

[:0-2] Needs, Kris (2005). Joe Strummer and the legend of The Clash. London: Plexus. pp. 105–106. ISBN 0-85965-348-X.

[3] The Clash (2008). The Clash. London: Atlantic Books. p. 158. ISBN 9781843547884.

[:1-4] Salewicz, Chris (2007). Redemption Song - The Definitive Biography Of Joe Strummer. Great Britain: HarperCollins. p. 212. ISBN 9780007172122.

[Uncut2015-5] "The Clash's 30 best songs". Uncut. London. 13 March 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2023.

[:2-6] Fletcher, Tony (2012). The Clash - The Music That Matters. London: Omnibus Press. p. 33. ISBN 9781780383033.

[7] "Artist: The Clash". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 July 2019.

[8] "Clash Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 May 2020.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{refimprove|date=July 2015}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
-{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2012}}
 {{Use British English|date=December 2012}}
+{{Infobox song
-{{Infobox single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
-| Name           = Clash City Rockers
+| name       = Clash City Rockers
-| Cover          = ClashCityRockers.jpg
+| cover      = ClashCityRockers.jpg
-| Artist         = [[The Clash]]
+| alt        =
+| type       = single
-| from Album     = [[The Clash (album)|The Clash (US ver.)]]
-| B-side         = "[[Jail Guitar Doors]]"
+| artist     = [[The Clash]]
+| album      = [[The Clash (album)|The Clash (US ver.)]]
-| Released       = 17 February 1978
-| Format         = 7-inch single
+| B-side     = [[Jail Guitar Doors]]
+| released   = 17 February 1978
-| Recorded       = October–November 1977, CBS Studios, London
+| recorded   = October–November 1977
-| Genre          = [[Punk rock]]
-| Length         = 3:55
+| studio     = CBS (London)
+| venue      =
-| Label          = [[Columbia Records|CBS]] <small>CBS 5834</small>
+| genre      = [[Punk rock]]<ref name="wyman">{{cite web |last1=Wyman |first1=Bill |title=All 139 the Clash Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best |url=https://www.vulture.com/2017/10/all-139-the-clash-songs-ranked-from-worst-to-best.html |website=[[Vulture (magazine)|Vulture]] |date=11 October 2017 |publisher=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |access-date=March 14, 2023}}</ref>
-| Writer         = [[Joe Strummer]] and [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]]
-| Producer       = [[Mickey Foote]]
+| length     = 3:55
-| Reviews        =
+| label      = [[Columbia Records|CBS]]
-| Last single    = "[[Complete Control]]"<br />(1977)
+| writer     = [[Joe Strummer]], [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]]
+| producer   = Mickey Foote
-| This single    = "'''Clash City Rockers'''"<br />(1978)
+| prev_title = [[Complete Control]]
-| Next single    = "[[(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais]]"<br />(1978)
-| Misc           =
+| prev_year  = 1977
+| next_title = [[(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais]]
+| next_year  = 1978
 }}
-"'''Clash City Rockers'''" is a song and single by [[The Clash]]. First released in February 1978 with the b-side "[[Jail Guitar Doors]]," a re-worked version of a song from [[Joe Strummer]]'s [[Pub rock (United Kingdom)|pub rock]] days. It was later included as the opening track of the belated US version of the band's [[The Clash (album)|eponymous debut album]].
+"'''Clash City Rockers'''" is a song by English rock band [[the Clash]]. It was first released in February 1978 as a single with the B-side "[[Jail Guitar Doors]]", the latter a re-worked version of a song from [[Joe Strummer]]'s [[Pub rock (United Kingdom)|pub rock]] days. "Clash City Rockers" was the second of three non-album singles released between the group's [[The Clash (album)|eponymous first album]] in 1977 and their second album, ''[[Give 'Em Enough Rope]]'' (1978).<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Needs|first=Kris|title=Joe Strummer and the legend of The Clash|publisher=Plexus|year=2005|isbn=0-85965-348-X|location=London|pages=105–106}}</ref> It was later included as the opening track of the belated US version of the band's debut album.
 ==Background==
-The song was first played live at Mont De Marsan (Landes - France), in August 1977 and recorded the same year in the band's October and November sessions at CBS Studios. Following an argument at the end of the band's Get Out of Control Tour, [[Paul Simonon]] and [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]] were not on speaking terms, leaving [[Joe Strummer]] as a middle-man, relaying instructions and insults from one to the other. In December, producer Mickey Foote (Joe Strummer's old sound-man from the [[The 101ers|101'ers]] and producer of ''[[The Clash (album)|The Clash]]'' and "[[White Riot]]") increased the speed of the tape for the finished master of the song after manager [[Bernie Rhodes]] decided the song sounded "a bit flat." This technique, known as "varispeeding," rendered the song one semitone higher in pitch. Strummer and Jones were in Jamaica at the time. When they heard the finished result, Foote was sacked. With the exception of the 2000 re-issue of the US version of ''The Clash'', the original version of the song (at the proper speed) has been used on every re-release since.
+The song was first played live at Mont De Marsan (Landes, France), in August 1977, and recorded the same year in the band's October and November sessions at CBS Studios. Following an argument at the end of the band's Get Out of Control Tour, [[Paul Simonon]] and [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]] were not on speaking terms, leaving [[Joe Strummer]] as a middle-man, relaying instructions and insults from one to the other.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Needs|first=Kris|title=Joe Strummer and the legend of The Clash|publisher=Plexus|year=2005|isbn=0-85965-348-X|location=London|pages=105–106}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=The Clash|title=The Clash|publisher=Atlantic Books|year=2008|isbn=9781843547884|location=London|pages=158}}</ref>
+==Composition==
-The Clash's first overt attempt at self-mythology, "Clash City Rockers" is, by and large, a song about positivity and moving forward,  and revisits themes common in Clash songs of the era, specifically dead-end employment and having a purpose in life. The middle part of the song is based on an old nursery rhyme, "[[Oranges and Lemons]]", and namechecks [[The Move]], [[The Groove (band)|The Groove]], [[David Bowie]], [[Gary Glitter]] and [[Prince Far-I]]; the irony of the line "''when I am fitter say the bells of Gary Glitter''" following [[Gary Glitter#Child pornography arrest and conviction|his scandal]] was not lost on Mick Jones, who joked about it in December 2003 of [[Uncut (magazine)|''Uncut'' magazine]]:
+The Clash's first overt attempt at self-mythology, "Clash City Rockers" is, by and large, a song about positivity and moving forward, and revisits themes common in Clash songs of the era, specifically dead-end employment and having a purpose in life.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Salewicz|first=Chris|title=Redemption Song - The Definitive Biography Of Joe Strummer|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2007|isbn=9780007172122|location=Great Britain|pages=212}}</ref> Jones has said that the song "was one of the first numbers we did where we really began to stretch and experiment."<ref name="Uncut2015"/>
+The middle part of the song is based on an old nursery rhyme, "[[Oranges and Lemons]]" ("You owe me a move say the bells of St. Groove"), and namechecks [[David Bowie]], [[Gary Glitter]] and [[Prince Far-I]]. The irony of the line "when I am fitter say the bells of Gary Glitter" following [[Gary Glitter#Child pornography arrest and conviction|Glitter's later scandal]] was not lost on Jones, who joked about it in the December 2003 issue of [[Uncut (magazine)|''Uncut'' magazine]]: "The Gary Glitter lyric? Yeah, that was before the internet. [grins]"{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}
-:"''The Gary Glitter lyric? Yeah, that was before the internet. [grins]''"
+The line in the song about reggae artist Prince Far-I, "No one but you and I say the bells of Prince Far-I", once again shows the group's reggae influences.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Needs|first=Kris|title=Joe Strummer and the legend of The Clash|publisher=Plexus|year=2005|isbn=0-85965-348-X|location=London|pages=105–106}}</ref> According to Strummer, the "rockers" in the song are not [[rock 'n' roll]]ers: "I was talking about [[one drop rhythm|rockers]] which is a certain [[reggae]] [[rhythm]]".<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Salewicz|first=Chris|title=Redemption Song - The Definitive Biography Of Joe Strummer|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2007|isbn=9780007172122|location=Great Britain|pages=212}}</ref>
-==The main riff==
-The main riff is very reminiscent to [[The Who]]'s debut single, "[[I Can't Explain]]"'s main riff, and sounds like it has been expanded by The Clash. This riff was reworked by the band again for "Guns on the Roof" on their second album ''Give 'Em Enough Rope''.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}
+Despite the reggae references, "Clash City Rockers" is a punk rock song with similarities to early songs by [[the Who]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Fletcher|first=Tony|title=The Clash - The Music That Matters|publisher=Omnibus Press|year=2012|isbn=9781780383033|location=London|pages=33}}</ref> It reinforced the profile and image of the Clash and their fans as being a gang.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Salewicz|first=Chris|title=Redemption Song - The Definitive Biography Of Joe Strummer|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2007|isbn=9780007172122|location=Great Britain|pages=212}}</ref>
-==Personnel==
+==Recording==
+In December, producer Mickey Foote—Strummer's old sound-man from the [[The 101ers|101'ers]] and producer of ''[[The Clash (album)|The Clash]]'' and "[[White Riot]]"—increased the speed of the tape for the finished master of the song, after manager [[Bernie Rhodes]] decided the song sounded "a bit flat". This technique, known as "[[pitch control|varispeeding]]", rendered the song one [[semitone]] higher in pitch. Strummer and Jones were in [[Jamaica]] at the time, and when they heard the finished result, they fired Foote. With the exception of the 2000 re-issue of the US version of ''[[The Clash]]'', the original version of the song (at the proper speed) has been used on every re-release since.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Salewicz|first=Chris|title=Redemption Song - The Definitive Biography Of Joe Strummer|publisher=HarperCollins|year=2007|isbn=9780007172122|location=Great Britain|pages=212}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Fletcher|first=Tony|title=The Clash - The Music That Matters|publisher=Omnibus Press|year=2012|isbn=9781780383033|location=London|pages=33}}</ref>
+[[Paul Simonon]] told ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' magazine in 2015 that the recording sessions on the song were strained due to an argument he had been having with [[Mick Jones (The Clash guitarist)|Mick Jones]]: "I seem to remember that, when we did 'Clash City Rockers', him and me had had a row. I was in one corner of the studio and Mick was in the other. He had to tell [[Joe Strummer|Joe]] what the chords were so he could come over and tell me. The guy who was recording it didn’t know what was going on cos of this weird communication breakdown."<ref name="Uncut2015">{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2015-03-13 |title=The Clash's 30 best songs |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/features/the-clashs-30-best-songs-67075/ |work=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]] |location= London |access-date=2023-06-01 }}</ref>
-==="Clash City Rockers"===
-* [[Joe Strummer]] - [[lead vocal]], [[pianos]]
-* [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]] - [[guitars]], [[backing vocals]]
-* [[Paul Simonon]] - [[bass guitar]]
-* [[Topper Headon]] - [[drums]]
+==Track listing==
-==="Jail Guitar Doors"===
-* [[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]] - [[lead vocals]], [[backing vocal]], [[lead guitars]]
+All tracks written by [[Joe Strummer]]/[[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]].
+; 7" vinyl
-* [[Joe Strummer]] - [[rhythm guitar]], [[backing vocal]]
+# "Clash City Rockers" – 3:50
-* [[Paul Simonon]] - [[bass guitar]]
+# "[[Jail Guitar Doors]]" – 3:03
-* [[Topper Headon]] - [[drums]]
+==Personnel==
+;The Clash
+*[[Joe Strummer]] – lead vocal, pianos
+*[[Mick Jones (The Clash)|Mick Jones]] – guitars, backing vocals
+*[[Paul Simonon]] – bass guitar
+*[[Topper Headon]] – drums
 ==Charts==
@@ Line 57: / Line 64: @@
 !Date
 |-
+|align="left"|[[UK Singles Chart]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16161/clash/ |title=Artist: The Clash |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=23 July 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Clash Artist Chart History |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16161/clash/ |publisher=Official Charts Company|access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref>
-|align="left"|[[UK Singles Chart]]
-|align="center"|35<ref> [http://chartarchive.org/r/750] </ref>
+|align="center"|35
-|align="left"|
+|align="left"|March 1978
 |}
 |}
@@ Line 65: / Line 72: @@
 ==References==
 {{Reflist}}
 ;Sources
 {{Refbegin}}
-*{{cite book |last=Topping |first=Keith |authorlink=Keith Topping |title=The Complete Clash |origyear=2003 |edition=2nd |year=2004 |publisher=Reynolds & Hearn |location=Richmond |isbn=1-903111-70-6 |oclc=63129186 }}
+*{{cite book |last=Needs |first=Kris |author-link=Kris Needs |title=Joe Strummer and the legend of The Clash |year=2005 |publisher=Plexus |location=London |isbn=9-780859-653480|oclc=238821052 }}
+*{{cite book |last=Topping |first=Keith |author-link=Keith Topping |title=The Complete Clash |orig-year=2003 |edition=2nd |year=2004 |publisher=Reynolds & Hearn |location=Richmond |isbn=1-903111-70-6 |oclc=63129186 }}
-*{{ cite link "http://chartarchive.org/r/7500" }}
 {{Refend}}
+{{The Clash}}
+{{authority control}}
-==External links==
-* {{MetroLyrics song|the-clash|clash-city-rockers}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider -->
-{{The Clash}}
+[[Category:1977 songs]]
 [[Category:1978 singles]]
 [[Category:The Clash songs]]
 [[Category:Songs written by Joe Strummer]]
 [[Category:Songs written by Mick Jones (The Clash)]]
-[[Category:1977 songs]]
 [[Category:CBS Records singles]]
-{{1970s-single-stub}}
-{{punk-song-stub}}

v t e The Clash
Joe Strummer Mick Jones Paul Simonon Topper Headon Terry Chimes Keith Levene Rob Harper Pete Howard Nick Sheppard Vince White
Studio albums	The Clash Give 'Em Enough Rope London Calling Sandinista! Combat Rock Cut the Crap
Live albums	From Here to Eternity: Live Live at Shea Stadium
Compilations	Black Market Clash The Story of the Clash, Volume 1 1977 Revisited Clash on Broadway The Singles (1991) Super Black Market Clash The Essential Clash Singles Box The Singles (2007) Sound System The Clash Hits Back 5 Album Studio Set
Extended plays	Capital Radio The Cost of Living
Singles	"White Riot" "Remote Control" "Complete Control" "Clash City Rockers" "(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais" "Tommy Gun" "English Civil War" "I Fought the Law" "Groovy Times" "London Calling" "Clampdown" "Train in Vain" "Bankrobber" "The Call Up" "Hitsville U.K." "The Magnificent Seven" "This Is Radio Clash" "Know Your Rights" "Should I Stay or Should I Go" "Rock the Casbah" "Straight to Hell" "This Is England" "Return to Brixton"
Other songs	"Career Opportunities" "Capital Radio One" "Garageland" "I'm So Bored with the USA" "Janie Jones" "London's Burning" "Police and Thieves" "Jail Guitar Doors" "Brand New Cadillac" "Death or Glory" "Lost in the Supermarket" "Revolution Rock" "Rudie Can't Fail" "Spanish Bombs" "Junco Partner" "Washington Bullets" "Overpowered by Funk"
Films	Rude Boy Concert for Kampuchea Westway to the World Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten London Town
Related articles	Discography Songs Band members The 101ers London SS Public Image Ltd Big Audio Dynamite Havana 3am The Latino Rockabilly War The Pogues The Mescaleros Carbon/Silicon The Good, the Bad & the Queen Gorillaz Spirit of St. Louis Rock Against Racism The Joe Strummer Foundation Bernard Rhodes Don Letts Alex Michon Caroline Coon Sandy Pearlman Guy Stevens Kosmo Vinyl Mick Gallagher Norman Watt-Roy Tymon Dogg Mikey Dread Ellen Foley Futura 2000
Category