Janie Jones (Babyshambles Song)

"Janie Jones" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash. It is the opening track on their debut album, '' The Clash'' (1977). The song is named after Janie Jones, a cabaret singer who organised sex parties at her Kensington home.

A live performance of "Janie Jones" is featured in the 1980 film '' Rude Boy'', and the song has been on the soundtracks of other films as well.

The song is the first stated to be on Rob Gordon's list of top five Track Ones Side Ones in the film '' High Fidelity''.

Composition

The song is named after Janie Jones, a minor English cabaret and pop singer in the 1960s who was convicted in 1974 of "controlling prostitutes" at sex parties she held at her home in Kensington. She was released from prison in 1977, and an allegedly smitten Joe Strummer composed the song in her honour.

Releases

In addition to '' The Clash'', the song has appeared on the compilation albums ''The Story of the Clash, Volume 1'' (1988) (disc two), ''Clash on Broadway'' (1991) (disc one; demo version), and '' The Essential Clash'' (2003) (disc one). A live version recorded on 4 June 1981 at Bond's Casino, New York City, is featured on the bootleg '' Live at Bond's Casino'' (2000).

Personnel

* Joe Strummer - lead vocal
* Mick Jones - backing vocals, guitar
* Paul Simonon - backing vocal, bass
* Terry Chimes - drums

Use in other media

The live performance of the song at the Apollo in Glasgow on 4 July 1978, is featured in '' Rude Boy'', a 1980 film directed by Jack Hazan and David Mingay, starring Ray Gange and the Clash. The track was re-recorded at Wessex Studios by engineer Bill Price and tape operator Jerry Green. The song was also featured on '' The Clash: Westway to the World'', a 2000 documentary film directed by Don Letts.

Martin Scorsese, a fan of the Clash, said that he considers "Janie Jones" to be the greatest British rock and roll song. He used the song in his 1999 film '' Bringing Out the Dead''. The song is also played in Michael Winterbottom's 2002 film ''24 Hour Party People''.

Other than its name, the 2010 film by David M. Rosenthal, ''Janie Jones'', bears only slight similarities to the song's lyrical theme.

Cover versions

"Janie Jones", performed by the Farrell Bros., features on ''This Is Rockabilly Clash'', a tribute album released by various artists, and recorded by Raucous Records in 2002. The song has been covered by the English bands the Paddingtons, and Bush numerous times at live concerts. The song was covered in 2005 on the collaborative album '' Slackness'' by The Slackers and Chris Murray. It was covered again by the three-piece folk noir band Songdog who featured it on their album, ''The Time of Summer Lightning'' in 2005 and then by Babyshambles, featuring contributions from others, in 2006 and released to raise funds for Joe Strummer's charity foundation Strummerville. Neurotic Outsiders covered it. American punk rock band Against Me! performed a version of the song in August 2011 for '' The A.V. Club'' A.V. Undercover series. A version of the drum rhythm at the beginning of the original song was humorously used in Thea Gilmore's cover of another Clash song, "I'm Not Down".

Babyshambles & Friends

"Janie Jones" (sometimes "Janie Jones (Strummerville)") was released through B-Unique Records to raise money for late Joe Strummer's charity foundation Strummerville and features contributions from others bands like Dirty Pretty Things, Larrikin Love, We Are Scientists, the Kooks, and Guillemots. This release marks the first time that Carl Barât and Pete Doherty worked together since the Libertines split up, although they never met during the recording process.

Music video

The video revolves around (the real) Janie Jones being chauffeured around London with Mick Jones. Many of the contributors to the song feature in the video. Drew McConnell accompanies Janie Jones from the Windmill theatre right at the beginning as she's getting into her car, Alan Donohoe from the Rakes is driving the car, two members of Cazals are walking down the street near the start and their singer, Phil Bush, mimes 'lucky lady', the two guys standing in front of the telephone box are Josh Hubbard from The Paddingtons and one member of Guillemots; Carl Barât, Anthony Rossomando, Gary Powell and a guitar can be seen in a car pulling up to a petrol station, while Jack Peñate is also seen at the petrol station and Lisa Moorish

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