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

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

band

the Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

, featured on their 1979 album '' London Calling''. The song was written by

Joe Strummer John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash' ...

and Mick Jones, who sing it as a

duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...

Composition

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

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

, rocksteady influence. Donald A. Guarisco of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

described it as "an exuberant horn-driven number that mixes pop and soul elements in to spice up its predominantly reggae sound".Rudie Can't Fail
at

Lyrics

"Rudie Can't Fail" praises the rude boys of

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

in the 1960s who challenged their elders'

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

. 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's 1967 song " 007 (Shanty Town)", 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''. ''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 and his 1977 song "Born for a Purpose" 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''.

References

{{The Clash 1979 songs The Clash songs British reggae songs Songs written by Joe Strummer Songs written by Mick Jones (The Clash) Song recordings produced by Guy Stevens

Composition

Lyrics

See also

References