Paul Weller and The Jam: The Birth of a Solo Icon
Mod/punk rockers The Jam formed in 1972 in Woking, England, where the members met at secondary school. Led by singer-songwriter Paul Weller, they would spend a decade together before Paul set out to pursue a solo career.
In the first half of that decade, they prepared to release their debut album, which arrived in 1977. Titled In The City, it had no major hits—although it did, strangely, include a cover of the Batman Theme. One can only assume this worked well live.
Their second album, This Is The Modern World, also came out in ’77 and didn’t contain any hits either. Another cover appeared here: In The Midnight Hour.
By their third release, All Mod Cons in 1978, Weller’s songwriting began to take shape—most noticeably in Down in the Tube Station at Midnight. For the now seemingly obligatory cover, they recorded David Watts, a relatively unknown Kinks tune that had only featured as a B-side.
The following year saw the release of Setting Sons, which surprisingly included a cover of Heat Wave by Martha and the Vandellas. As for their own material, this album featured their first top 10 hit: The Eton Rifles, a reference to the English upper class. Eton is a public school where many politicians and members of the elite are educated—Weller, a famously outspoken socialist, clearly felt the need to highlight this.
Before their next album, The Jam released Going Underground, a standalone single that, for whatever reason, didn’t appear on an album. It would go on to become one of their biggest tunes.
On their next LP, Sound Affects, they included That’s Entertainment, another of their most beloved songs. Strangely, it wasn’t released as a single in the U.K.—fans had to import it from abroad, making it the best-selling imported single in U.K. history. The BBC even ranked it the 43rd greatest song of all time.
In 1982, The Jam released their final studio album, which featured their biggest hit: Town Called Malice.
Following their 10 years together, Paul Weller would go on to become one of England’s most cherished artists. As a solo act, he released classics like You Do Something To Me and Wild Wood.
Weller is still active—releasing albums, appearing on TV, and touring his vast catalogue of tunes, 50 years after forming The Jam.
The Jam Tunes | Related Pages
Heat Wave | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Heat Wave by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Eb N.C (Bb C Bb G) | Fm (Gbm) | Gm (Bm) | Cm (Bm) | Cm |
Whenever I’m with him, (oh, oh, oh, oh) something inside (inside)…
In the Midnight Hour | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play In the Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| E A | E A | E A | E A |
I’m gonna wait ’til the midnight hour, that’s when my love comes tumbling down…
Need Your Love So Bad | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Need Your Love So Bad by Fleetwood Mac using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, and a Spytunes video guitar lesson.
| A | A | A7 | A7 |
Need someone’s hand, to lead me through the night…
That’s Entertainment | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play That’s Entertainment by The Jam using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| G | Em |
A police car and a screaming siren…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: That’s Entertainment (The Jam) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Town Called Malice | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Town Called Malice by The Jam using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| F#m7 | F#m7 | Em | Em |
You better stop dreaming of the quiet life, ’cause it’s the one we’ll never know…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Town Called Malice (The Jam) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
The Jam on the web
