Against A Tie And A Crest

The Jam : The Eton Rifles

[Purchase]

On October 28, 1979, The Jam entered the U.K. pop charts at #29 with "The Eton Rifles" b/w "Seesaw". The Setting Sons track, pitting toffs against toughs, would peak at #3, thus becoming The Jam's first Top 10 hit. Its success would not, however, prevent Eton from pumping its elite graduates into the House of Commons decades later.

Weller grew up not far from Eton. He tells Mojo Magazine he wrote the A side while on vacation in a seaside town:

"We had a week off and I never even thought about going abroad for a holiday at that time. So I went down to my mum and dad's caravan in Selsey and it pissed with rain for the whole week, so I just ended up writing. And I wrote 'Eton Rifles.' I thought it was a powerful statement."

NME selected "The Eton Rifles" as the #1 single of 1979.