March 27, 2024, marks the 24th anniversary of the death of Ian Dury. The British singer/songwriter and sometimes actor, who came to fame during the late 1970s as a popular figure in the U.K. punk scene, passed away from cancer at age 57.
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After a stint during the early-to-mid 1970s with the pub-rock band Kilburn and the High Roads, Dury released his debut solo single, “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll,” in August 1977, followed by his first solo album, New Boots and Panties!!, the next month.
[RELATED: Ian Dury’s Life the Subject of New Biopic]
Also in ’77, Dury formed Ian Dury and the Blockheads, serving as singer and lyricist for the band. Most of the group’s music was written by Blockheads guitarist/keyboardist Chaz Jankel.
As a performer and lyricist, Dury presented himself as bawdy Cockney character with songs featuring bawdy themes and clever wordplay. His music, both solo and with the Blockheads, combined elements of early rock ‘n’ roll, British music hall, pub rock, funk, and disco.
In honor of the anniversary of his death, here’s a look at three of Dury’s most memorable songs
“Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” – Ian Dury (1977)
Dury’s debut single wasn’t a hit, but it has become a bona fide anthem of the punk era.
While on its surface, “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” seems to be a celebration debauchery and the simply having a good time, Dury insisted that the song had been misinterpreted.
In an unpublished interview with journalist Chris Welch in 1995, Dury maintained that he wrote the song as an encouragement to people who wanted to live life outside of the mundane.
“‘Sex and Drugs’ started as a mild admonishment and ended as a lovely anthem,” he said. “With this song I was trying to suggest there was more to life than either of those three—sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, or pulling a lever all day in a factory.”
While the song may have helped popularize the phrase “sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll,” the saying went back as far as the late 1960s. “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” was used as the title for the 2010 Dury biopic, which starred Andy Serkis, who portrayed Gollum in the Lord of the Rings films.
“Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick” – Ian Dury and the Blockheads (1978)
“Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick” was Dury and the Blockheads’ biggest hit. Released in November 1978, as a non-album single, it topped the U.K. chart for one week in January of ’79.
In the funky dance song, Dury takes the listener on a lyrical journey around the world as he extols the pleasures of dancing, and, perhaps, kinky sex. Musically, the track is highlighted by Jankel’s funky keyboard riff, Norman Watt-Roy’s insistent bass, and an avant-garde saxophone solo by Davey Payne, who played two saxes at the same time.
“Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3” – Ian Dury and the Blockheads (1979)
“Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3” also was issued as a non-album single, in July 1979. The song peaked at No. 3 on the U.K. singles chart. It was highlighted by a funky repetitive groove, and featured Dury speak-singing a rhyming list of things and people that made him happy.
The list included Buddy Holly, the Little Richard hit “Good Golly Miss Molly,” female and male genitalia, porridge, carrot juice, claret wine, Elvis Presley and his guitarist Scotty Moore, The Marx Brothers, Woody Allen, Salvador Dalí, and Smokey Robinson.
The track features a melodic, jazzy sax solo from Payne in the middle of the tune, and a rocking, bluesy guitar solo from the Blockheads’ John Turnbull.
Despite the song’s title, there was no “Part 1” or “Part 2” to “Reasons to Be Cheerful.”
“Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick” and “Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3” were both included on reissue versions of Dury and the Blockheads’ 1979 studio album, Do It Yourself.
