"Tommy Gun" is a song by the British 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 the first single from their second album ''

Give 'Em Enough Rope ''Give 'Em Enough Rope'' is the second studio album by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was released on 10 November 1978 through CBS Records. It was their first album released in the United States, preceding the U.S. version of the sel ...

'' (1978).

Background

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, ...

said that he got the idea for the song when he was thinking about terrorists, and how they probably enjoy reading about their killings as much as movie stars like seeing their films reviewed. While

Topper Headon Nicholas Bowen "Topper" Headon (born 30 May 1955) is an English drummer, best known as the drummer of punk rock band the Clash. Known for his instrumental contributions to the drumming world, Headon was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fa ...

mimics the sound of gangster movie shootings with quick

snare SNARE proteins – " SNAP REceptor" – are a large protein family consisting of at least 24 members in yeasts, more than 60 members in mammalian cells, and some numbers in plants. The primary role of SNARE proteins is to mediate vesicle f ...

hits and the guitars are full of distortion and feedback, Strummer's sarcastic lyrics (''I'm cutting out your picture from page one/I'm gonna get a jacket just like yours/And give my false support to your cause/Whatever you want, you're gonna get it!'') condemn rather than condone violence: at the end of the song he sings, ''If death comes so cheap/Then the same goes for life!'' In the liner notes of the '' Singles Box'',

Carl Barat Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of tel ...

(former frontman of Dirty Pretty Things and

The Libertines The Libertines are an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât (vocals/guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/guitar). The band, centred on the songwriting partnership of Barât and Doherty, has also included John Hassall ...

), says that "Tommy Gun" was important for music at the time because it let people know what was going on in the world—it talked about real issues. He says,

Track listing

All tracks written by

/ Mick Jones. ; 7" vinyl # "Tommy Gun" – 3:18 # "1-2 Crush On You" – 2:59

Personnel

"Tommy Gun"

– lead vocals, rhythm guitar * Mick Jones –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

* Paul Simonon –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

– drums

"1–2 Crush on You"

* Mick Jones – lead guitar, lead and backing vocals * Joe Strummer – rhythm guitar, backing and lead (outro) vocals, piano * Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals * Topper Headon – drums *

Gary Barnacle Gary Barnacle (born 1959 in Dover, England) is an English saxophonist, flautist, brass instrument arranger, composer, and producer. Barnacle is primarily noted for his session work and live work, including various Prince's Trust concerts a ...

– saxophone

Charts

Notes

* * * * * *

References

1978 singles The Clash songs Songs written by Mick Jones (The Clash) Songs written by Joe Strummer Song recordings produced by Sandy Pearlman 1978 songs {{1970s-single-stub