Special Brew (song)

Last updated
"Special Brew"
Bad Manners Special Brew.jpeg
Single by Bad Manners
from the album Ska 'n' B
B-side "Ivor The Engine"
Released12 September 1980 (1980-09-12)
Genre
Length3:20
3:37 (album version)
Label Magnet
Songwriter(s) Bad Manners (Buster Bloodvessel, Louis Cook, David Farren, Paul Hyman, Chris Kane, Andrew Marson, Alan Sayag, Martin Stewart) [1]
Producer(s) Roger Lomas
Bad Manners singles chronology
"Lip Up Fatty"
(1980)		"Special Brew"
(1980)		"Lorraine"
(1980)

"Special Brew" is a song by British 2-tone and ska band Bad Manners, released in September 1980 and was the third single from their first album Ska 'n' B . It was the band's joint biggest hit in the UK, reaching number 3 in the UK Singles Chart, where it stayed for two weeks. [2] The song takes its inspiration from the Carlsberg lager Special Brew and is about someone who loves it like a significant other. [3]

Contents

After the success of "Ne-Ne Na-Na Na-Na Nu-Nu", the band realised they needed to write more songs and so went to the local off-licence for inspiration. One of the ideas sounded "a bit soppy... a bit of a long song" to Buster Bloodvessel, which was not their style, so he picked up his beer and sang "I love you, yes i do 'cause i know that you're my special brew" and the song was then written in a matter of minutes. [4] [5]

The B-side song "Ivor The Engine" is named after the eponymous television series and was included on their second album Loonee Tunes! , titled "The Undersea Adventures of Ivor the Engine".

A limited-edition picture disc was also issued, with a picture of Bloodvessel licking his lips at a pint of Special Brew. [6]

Track listing

7"

  1. "Special Brew" – 3:20
  2. "Ivor The Engine" – 2:25

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1980)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA) [7] 4
UK Singles (OCC) [2] 3

Year-end charts

Chart (1980)Position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company) [8] 42

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References

  1. ↑ "Special Brew - Bad Manners | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  2. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  3. ↑ Mckinstry, Leo (23 March 2012). "In defence of Special Brew". www.spectator.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  4. ↑ Bad Manners TV & Film Archive Part 4. 25 November 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  5. ↑ Bad Manners TV & Film Archive Part 5. 25 November 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  6. ↑ "Bad Manners - Special Brew". Discogs. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  7. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Special Brew". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  8. ↑ "Top 100 1980 - UK Music Charts". Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
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