"Start!" is the eleventh UK single release by the Jam and their second number-one, following " Going Underground"/" Dreams of Children". Upon its release on 15 August 1980, it debuted at number three, and two weeks later reached number one for one week. Written by

Paul Weller John William Weller (born 25 May 1958), better known as Paul Weller, is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame in the late 1970s as the guitarist and principal singer and songwriter of the rock band the Jam, alongside ...

and produced by Vic Coppersmith-Heaven and the Jam, "Start!" was the lead single from the band's fifth album '' Sound Affects''. The single's B-side is "Liza Radley". "Start!" is based on both the main guitar

riff A riff is a short, repeated motif or figure in the melody or accompaniment of a musical composition. Riffs are most often found in rock music, punk, heavy metal music, Latin, funk, and jazz, although classical music is also sometimes based ...

and bass riff of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' 1966 song " Taxman" from the album ''

Revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

'', written by George Harrison. "To be Someone" and "Liza Radley" also utilise the "Taxman" bassline, as does "Dreams of Children", B-side to " Going Underground", played then as a lead guitar riff. Bassist Bruce Foxton commented on the similarity: The album version of the song runs at 2:30 and features trumpets in the final section.

Release

"Start!" became a major chart hit for the Jam, reaching number one in the UK. Foxton noted that the commercial success of the single added pressure for the band, explaining, "That was the Number One that knocked

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

off the top of the charts. Then I thought, ‘Wow, we really have arrived!’ Once you get a Number One it’s a bit like Spinal Tap with their amps going up to 11. Once you get to Number One, where do you go? That created a lot more pressure."

Other versions and sampling

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

covered the song on their 1999 single, " Alive". 808 State sampled the song on their 1993 single, "10 X 10". Manfred Mann's Earth Band covered the song on their 1987 album " Masque" under the title "What You Give Is What You Get (Start)".

Bibliography

*Martin Roach (ed) (2008) ''The Virgin Book of British Hit Singles'', Virgin Books, London.

References

External links

Album review
at ''

BBC Online BBC Online, formerly known as BBCi, is the BBC's online service. It is a large network of websites including such high-profile sites as BBC News and BBC Sport, Sport, the on-demand video and radio services branded BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds, t ...

'' 1980 songs 1980 singles The Jam songs UK singles chart number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Songs written by Paul Weller Song recordings produced by Vic Coppersmith-Heaven Polydor Records singles {{1980s-rock-song-stub