"Rudie Can't Fail" is a song by the English punk rock band

the Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

, featured on their 1979 album ''

London Calling ''London Calling'' is the third studio album by English rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a double album in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 by CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 by Epic Records. The C ...

''. The song was written by

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, ...

and Mick Jones, who sing it as a

duet A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...

Composition

Like some songs on ''London Calling'', "Rudie Can't Fail" has a strong

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

rocksteady Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...

influence. Donald A. Guarisco of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described it as "an exuberant horn-driven number that mixes pop and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

elements in to spice up its predominantly reggae sound".Rudie Can't Fail
at

Lyrics

"Rudie Can't Fail" praises the

rude boy Rude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi, and rudy are slang terms that originated in 1960s Jamaican street culture, and that are still used today. In the late 1970s, there was a revival in England of the terms ''rude boy'' and ''rude girl'', among other ...

s of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

in the 1960s who challenged their elders'

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...

. The song is about a fun-loving young man who is criticised by his elders for not acting as a responsible adult, drinking beer at breakfast, and describe him as being "so crude and feckless", to which he responds "I know that my life make you nervous, but I tell you I can't live in service." The song's title derives from

Desmond Dekker Desmond Dekker (16 July 1941 – 25 May 2006) was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group The Aces (consisting of Wilson James and Easton Barrington Howard), he had one of the earlie ...

's 1967 song "

007 (Shanty Town) "007 (Shanty Town)" is a 1967 rocksteady song by Jamaican band Desmond Dekker and the Aces, released as a single from their debut album of the same name. It was also a hit for Musical Youth in 1983. "007 (Shanty Town)" has been called "the mos ...

", and is in homage to Ray Gange, who had portrayed a roadie who quits his job to follow the Clash around in the 1980 film ''

Rude Boy Rude boy, rudeboy, rudie, rudi, and rudy are slang terms that originated in 1960s Jamaican street culture, and that are still used today. In the late 1970s, there was a revival in England of the terms ''rude boy'' and ''rude girl'', among other ...

''. ''Rudie Can't Fail'' was the working title of a planned second movie for which The Clash would provide the soundtrack. Reference is made also to

Dr Alimantado Dr Alimantado (born Winston James Thompson; 1952 in Kingston, Jamaica), also known as ''The Ital Surgeon'', is a Jamaican reggae singer, DJ, and producer.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, ...

, in the line "Like the doctor who was born for a purpose". The line "You're looking pretty smart in your chicken skin suit", may refer to Alimantado's debut album, ''

Best Dressed Chicken in Town ''Best Dressed Chicken in Town'' is the debut album by Jamaican deejay Dr. Alimantado. It was first released in 1978, and collects many of his self-produced singles from 1972 to 1978 , employing the engineering talents of Lee "Scratch" Perry, King ...

''.

References

{{The Clash 1979 songs The Clash songs Reggae songs Songs written by Joe Strummer Songs written by Mick Jones (The Clash) Song recordings produced by Guy Stevens Post-punk songs

Composition

Lyrics

See also

References