‘When You’re Young’ – The Jam, 1979
Of course, English post-punk circa 1978-1981 is where my heart’s really at. Elvis (the real Elvis, as in the Costello one), The Specials, Gang of Four, Joy Division, Public Image, and of course England’s finest, The Jam. Criminally under-rated, The Jam had at least three classic albums, but ‘When You’re Young’ was never on any of them – it seemed to be standard practice to leave certain songs off an album, not sure why.
Anyway, this song is one of their best, and perfectly encapsulates the feeling of growing up, of being young and vibrant and alive. The first line, “Life is timeless, days are long when you’re young” gets straight to the heart of the matter. As kids, we have no responsibility, and haven’t yet known the 9-5 drudgery that makes everyone a little bit cynical. Weller himself would have been 19 or 20 when this came out, so he was starting to learn.
A favourite line of mine from this song is “You pull on some weed, then you pull on someone when you’re young”. Perfectly describes the ‘throwing shapes’ and getting into fights that most young lads have gone through, be they city-dwellers or rural folk. Another classic is “the world is your oyster but the future’s a clam”.
Music-wise, it’s standard Jam-fare, and one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar, with it’s A-E chord progression. Drums and bass are tight as always, and Weller’s guitar crashes and smashes with just the right amount of treble. Here’s the video for the song – Weller the only person in history to make white socks and black slip-ons cool (almost). And here’s a cracking version they did on a TV show.
