Sunday, March 10, 2024

The Jam: When You're Young

Something important happened at the end of the Seventies: singles began to matter again. For most of the decade it had been albums that mattered, while the singles chart was left first to Chinn and Chapman and then to novelty records.

The result of this renaissance of the single was that a really good song like When You're Young, which made the top 20 in early 1979, was not to be found on any Jam album until the superior greatest hits compilation Snap!

Weller has a lot to say, almost too much to fit the tune. But the lyrics contain one of best lines:

The world is your oyster but your future's a clam.

And the video? A tweet by Life in Kilburn reveals:

An interesting video filmed in Kilburn and Queen's Park. Shows the escalators in Kilburn Square that provided access to 1st floor retail units. Now a no man's land....

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