Absolute Beginners (The Jam song)

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"Absolute Beginners"
AbsoluteBeginners.jpg
Single by The Jam
B-side"Tales from the Riverbank"
Released16 October 1981
GenreMod revival, pop soul
Length2:50
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)Paul Weller
Producer(s)Peter Wilson and The Jam
The Jam singles chronology
"Funeral Pyre"
(1981) 		"Absolute Beginners"
(1981) 		"Town Called Malice" / "Precious"
(1982)
Alternative cover
Music video
"Absolute Beginners" on YouTube

"Absolute Beginners" was a single released by The Jam on 16 October 1981. Although the song did not appear on any of the band's studio albums, it reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart.[1] The song was named after the Colin MacInnes novel of the same name. The book was one of songwriter Paul Weller's favourites, being chosen by him when he appeared on Desert Island Discs.[2]

"Tales from the Riverbank" appeared as the B-side. The band's record company Polydor later stated that they believed "Tales from the Riverbank" should have been released as the A-side.

The song also appeared on the soundtrack for the 1997 film Grosse Pointe Blank.[3]

Music video[]

The video to "Absolute Beginners" was filmed in the vicinity of Nomis studios, Shepherd's Bush, and includes footage of the band running around terraced streets in the vicinity of the studios, chasing a camera tied to the rear of a vehicle. The video also includes inserted text slides typical of those used during the silent film era.[4]

References[]

  1. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 277. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ "Paul Weller's Desert Island Discs". MOJO. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  3. ^ Grosse Pointe Blank
  4. ^ That's Entertainment: My Life in The Jam pp. 151-152

External links[]

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