"This Is England" 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 w ...

, released as a single in September 1985, from their sixth and final studio album, ''

Cut the Crap ''Cut the Crap'' is the sixth and final studio album by English punk band the Clash, released on 4 November 1985 by CBS Records. It was recorded in early 1985 at Weryton Studios, Munich, following a turbulent period: co-founder, lead guitar ...

''. Produced by

Bernard Rhodes Bernard Rhodes is a designer, band manager, studio owner, record producer and songwriter who was integral to the development of the punk rock scene in the United Kingdom from the middle 1970s. He is most associated with two of the UK's best kn ...

and co-written by Strummer and Rhodes, it was the band's last single, in their later incarnation of

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, ...

, Paul Simonon,

Nick Sheppard Nick Sheppard is a British guitarist. He played lead guitar for The Clash from 1983 until the band's breakup in 1986. Life and career Sheppard was educated at Bristol Grammar School, one of Bristol's leading public schools, and was in the same ...

Pete Howard Peter Howard is an English rock drummer. He was a member of the Clash from 1983 until 1986. Career The Clash (1983–86) Howard joined the Clash in spring 1983. Drummer Topper Headon had been fired the previous year – shortly before the ...

and Vince White.

Composition

Written in late 1983, the song is about the state of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

at the time. "This Is England" comprises a list of the problems in England during the early years of the

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

administration, addressing inner-city violence, urban alienation, life on

council estate Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...

s, high unemployment rate, England's dying motorcycle industry, racism, nationalism, and police corruption. Additionally, the song explores two very common subject matters for the mid-1980s

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

songwriters: the wave of patriotism from the Falklands War and the consumerist, subservient mindset of many English people at the time. The lyrics are considered some of the strongest from Joe Strummer, which were overshadowed by the infamous negative reception of ''Cut the Crap''. The song contains a drum machine and synthesizers, instruments which were mostly not utilized by The Clash during the Topper and Mick Jones era. The song begins with the squeaky voice of a market hawker shouting, "four for a pound your face flannels; three for a pound your tea towels!"

Release

The single was released on 7-inch vinyl, backed with "Do It Now", and on 12-inch vinyl format with a different cover and an additional track on side two, titled "Sex Mad Roar". Strummer described "This Is England" as his "last great Clash song".

Reception

John Leland of '' Spin'' wrote, "anthemic Brit power the likes of which we haven't heard in years ( Billy Bragg notwithstanding). It's definitely a rocker, with a ballsy rhythm-guitar line and a football-chant chorus. Strummer is in peak psychotic/idealist form: "

Legacy

"This Is England" was included on ''

The Essential Clash ''The Essential Clash'' is a career-spanning greatest hits compilation album, album by The Clash first released in 2003. It is part of the ongoing 'The Essential' Sony BMG compilation series. The album is dedicated to Joe Strummer, who died durin ...

'' compilation in 2003. In 2006, the single was fully re-released on CD as disc 19 in '' Singles Box'', accompanied by a faithful re-creation of the single's original artwork and the extra track "Sex Mad Roar" from the original 12-inch pressing. The single also appears on the 2007 collection '' The Singles''. "This is England" is also the only song from Cut the Crap to ever appear on compilations.

Track listing

All tracks written by

. ;7" vinyl # "This Is England" – 3:37 # "Do It Now" – 3:07 ;12" vinyl # "This Is England" – 3:37 # "Do It Now" – 3:07 # "Sex Mad Roar" – 2:59

Personnel

– lead vocals * Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals *

– guitar, backing vocals * Vince White – guitars *

– drums on "Do It Now" and "Sex Mad Roar" *

Bernie Rhodes Bernard Rhodes is a designer, band manager, studio owner, record producer and songwriter who was integral to the development of the punk rock scene in the United Kingdom from the middle 1970s. He is most associated with two of the UK's best kn ...

– synthesisers, backing vocals, drums, sound effects

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1985 singles The Clash songs Protest songs Songs about England 1985 songs Songs written by Joe Strummer CBS Records singles Songs written by Bernard Rhodes