"That's Entertainment" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by the Jam | ||||
from the album Sound Affects | ||||
B-side | "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" (live) | |||
Released | 7 February 1981 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:38 | |||
Label |
| |||
Songwriter(s) | Paul Weller | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
The Jam singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"That's Entertainment" on YouTube |
"That's Entertainment" is a 1980 song by British punk-mod revivalist group the Jam from their fifth album, Sound Affects .
Although never released as a domestic single in the UK during the band's lifetime, "That's Entertainment" nonetheless charted as an import single (backed by a live version of "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight"), peaking at No. 21. [1] It was given its first full UK release in 1983 and peaked at No. 60. A second reissue in 1991 also made the top 50. [1]
The song remains one of the two all-time biggest selling import singles in the UK, alongside the Jam's "Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?", which hit the charts at No. 8 as an import in 1982. [1]
"That's Entertainment" has been listed by BBC Radio 2 as the 43rd best song ever released by any artist. [2]
"That's Entertainment" is the group's lone entry, at No.306, on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list released in 2004. It consistently makes similar British lists of all-time great songs, such as BBC Radio 2's "Sold on Song" 2004 Top 100, at No.43. [3]
The song uses an almost entirely acoustic arrangement with only very light percussion. Like much of Sound Affects , the song has strong undercurrents of pop-psychedelia. The only electric guitar part in the song is played backwards over one of the verses, a hallmark of psychedelia.
The minimalist, slice-of-life lyrics list various conditions of British working-class life. The first verse:
A police car and a screaming siren
Pneumatic drill and ripped-up concrete
A baby wailing, stray dog howling
The screech of brakes and lamp light blinking
culminating in the laconic and ironic refrain of "That's entertainment, That's entertainment"
"I was in London by the time I wrote 'That's Entertainment'," said Weller, "writing it was easy in a sense because all those images were at hand, around me." [4] In an interview with Absolute Radio he said: "I wrote it in 10 mins flat, whilst under the influence, I'd had a few but some songs just write themselves. It was easy to write, I drew on everything around me." [5]
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) [6] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
"That's Entertainment" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Morrissey | ||||
A-side | "Sing Your Life" | |||
Released | 1 April 1991 [7] | |||
Length | 3:58 | |||
Label | His Master's Voice | |||
Songwriter(s) | Paul Weller | |||
Morrissey singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"That's Entertainment" on YouTube |
English singer Morrissey covered "That's Entertainment" in 1991. It was released as a B-side for his single "Sing Your Life" and was later included in Suedehead: The Best of Morrissey . The song featured backing vocals from Chas Smash of Madness.
The Jam were an English rock band formed in 1972 in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1982, including four number one hits. As of 2007, "That's Entertainment" and "Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?" remain the best-selling import singles of all time in the UK. They released one live album and six studio albums, the last of which, The Gift, reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. When the group disbanded in 1982, their first 15 singles were re-released and all placed within the top 100.
John William Weller, better known as Paul Weller, is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the rock band the Jam in the late 1970s. Following the dissolution of the Jam in 1982, he pursued different musical styles in the Style Council (1983–1989), then became a solo artist with his eponymous 1992 studio album.
Kill Uncle is the second solo studio album by the English alternative rock singer Morrissey, released on 4 March 1991 by EMI Records and His Master's Voice. The title comes from the black comedy film Let's Kill Uncle (1966).
"These Are the Days of Our Lives" is a song by the British rock band Queen. Although credited to the whole band, it was largely written by their drummer Roger Taylor, and is the eighth track on the band's 1991 album Innuendo.
"Panic" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, released in 1986 and written by singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. The first recording to feature new member Craig Gannon, "Panic" bemoans the state of contemporary pop music, exhorting listeners to "burn down the disco" and "hang the DJ" in retaliation. The song was released by Rough Trade as a single and reached No. 7 on the Irish Singles Chart and No. 11 in the UK Chart. Morrissey considered the song's appearance on daytime British radio a "tiny revolution" in its own way, as it aired amongst the very music it criticised.
"This Charming Man" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by guitarist Johnny Marr and singer Morrissey. Released as the group's second single in October 1983 on the independent record label Rough Trade, it is defined by Marr's jangle pop guitar riff and Morrissey's characteristically morose lyrics, which revolve around the recurrent Smiths themes of sexual ambiguity and lust. A different version, from the John Peel Show on BBC Radio 1, was included on the compilation album Hatful of Hollow in 1984.
"The Last of the Famous International Playboys" is a 1989 song by British vocalist Morrissey.
"Justified & Ancient" is a song by British band the KLF. It was featured on their 1991 studio album, The White Room, but its origins date back to the duo's debut album, 1987 .
"Irish Blood, English Heart" is a song by British singer Morrissey, released as the lead single to his seventh studio album You Are the Quarry. His first new song in seven years, it was released on 12 April 2004 in the United States and on 10 May 2004 in the United Kingdom.
"Ask" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Smiths. It was released as a single on 20 October 1986 through Rough Trade Records. Credited to vocalist Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr, "Ask" is an ostensibly upbeat, positive pop song built around major chords. Its lyrics discuss shyness and encourage listeners to overcome their inhibitions. Its multiple guitar parts and complex production led to disagreements regarding its final mix. Craig Gannon, who at the time was rhythm guitarist for the group, has claimed he wrote – and was denied credit for – the song's chord structure.
"Hand in Glove" is the debut single by English rock band the Smiths, written by singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. It was released in May 1983 on independent record label Rough Trade. It peaked at No. 3 on the UK Indie Chart but did not make the top 75 of the UK Singles Chart, settling outside at No. 124.
"Sing Your Life" is a single by English singer-songwriter Morrissey released in April 1991. It was the second single taken from the Kill Uncle album. On release this was Morrissey's lowest charting single in the UK charts, reaching only number 33. One of the single's B-sides was a cover version of "That's Entertainment" by The Jam which had backing vocals by Chas Smash, a.k.a. Carl Smyth the second singer of the band Madness. Vic Reeves also recorded backing vocals for the song, but they weren't included in the final version. He is thanked in the sleeve notes.
"I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" is a song by the English rock band The Smiths, written by singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr and released on the group's 1987 album Strangeways, Here We Come. Featuring a glam rock-inspired guitar riff, the song emerged from a jam during the "Sheila Take a Bow" sessions.
"First of the Gang to Die" is a song co-written by Morrissey from his 2004 album You Are the Quarry. It was released in July 2004 as the second single from the album. It was written by Morrissey and Alain Whyte, the two being responsible for lyrics and music respectively. Following the success of "Irish Blood, English Heart", from the same album, the single reached the number six spot in the UK Singles Chart, giving Morrissey two top ten hits in a row for the first time since "The Last of the Famous International Playboys" and "Interesting Drug" both reached the top ten in 1989.
"Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before" is a song by the English rock band the Smiths, written by singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. The song was first released on the group's 1987 album Strangeways, Here We Come. Marr's music features a larger sound, courtesy of a 12-string Gibson ES-335, and one of his few guitar solos with the Smiths. Morrissey's lyrics allude to alcohol and deception.
The CD Singles '88–91' is a box set of Morrissey's first ten singles as a solo artist, from "Suedehead" (1988) to "Pregnant for the Last Time" (1991).
"Tokyo " is a song by Liverpudlian indie band the Wombats. It was the first single to be released from their second album This Modern Glitch. The song was added to the A-list on BBC Radio 1.
"How Soon Is Now?" is a song by English rock band the Smiths, written by singer Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr. Originally a B-side of the 1984 single "William, It Was Really Nothing", "How Soon Is Now?" was subsequently featured on the compilation album Hatful of Hollow and on US, Canadian, Australian, and Warner UK editions of Meat Is Murder. Belatedly released as a single in the UK in 1985, it reached No. 24 on the UK Singles Chart. When re-released in 1992, it reached No. 16.
Steven Patrick Morrissey, known mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then, he has pursued a successful solo career. Morrissey's music is characterised by his baritone voice and distinctive lyrics with recurring themes of emotional isolation, sexual longing, self-deprecating and dark humour, and anti-establishment stances.
"6 Words" is a song by English rapper Wretch 32. It was released on 16 November 2014 as the lead single from his third studio album Growing Over Life. The song was produced by Mikey Muzik and Mo-Samuels from the Sons of Sonix Music Group, with additional production and engineering by Wilkinson. It peaked at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart, making it Wretch's fifth top ten single in the UK.