Joe Strummer called “This Is England” the “last great Clash song.” However, when The Clash released their final album, Cut The Crap, there wasn’t much of a band remaining. Guitarist and songwriter Mick Jones had left, along with drummer Topper Headon. Leaving only Strummer, bassist Paul Simonon, and replacement musicians. But Simonon didn’t play on the album either, so critics wondered if this was really the singer’s solo release.
Videos by American Songwriter
But Strummer, exhausted and depressed, wasn’t proud of the album, and by 1986, The Clash was finished. While many in the 80s despised Cut The Crap, “This Is England” remains a bright spot as England’s punk legends hobbled to the finish line.
About “This Is England”
Built atop a stadium chorus, Strummer sings about economic despair, alienation, and violence in England during the early 1980s. It’s a protest against Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government and increasing nationalism in the country.
I hear a gang fight on a human factory farm
Are they howling out, or doing somebody harm?
On a catwalk jungle, somebody grabbed my arm
A voice spoke so cold it matched the weapon in her palm.
Written by Strummer and the band’s manager Bernard Rhodes, “This Is England” benefits from slightly less dense production, which plagues much of Cut The Crap—occasionally obscuring Strummer’s vocals.
This is England
The land of illegal dances
This is England
Land of a thousand stances.
“Czechoslovak Song / Where Is England”
A 1983 demo of “This Is England” appears on Strummer’s compilation album, Joe Strummer 001 (2018). The demo is titled “Czechoslovak Song / Where Is England” and features Simonon and drummer Pete Howard, who had replaced Headon. (Original drummer Terry Chimes briefly returned to the band in 1982 before Howard’s tenure.)
The demo was recorded with a slow, dub groove, minus the drum machine and synthesizers that defined the album version. The power of Simonon’s bass is undeniable, proving how much The Clash missed its principal members on Cut The Crap.
“This Is England” reached No. 24 in the U.K., a sharp decline from the band’s previous single “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”. The Clash had reached their commercial peak with Combat Rock. And perhaps Cut The Crap definitively answered the question to The Clash’s last hit.
Should I stay, or should I go now?
If I go, there will be trouble
And if I stay, it will be double
So come on and let me know.
Photo by Steve Rapport/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.