Going Underground

"Going Underground" is the first British number-one chart single by The Jam, released in March 1980. It went straight in at number one in the UK Singles Chart, a rare feat at the time, and spent three weeks at the top. It was the first of three instant chart-toppers for the group.

Song profile

"Going Underground" was not released on any of the band's six studio albums, although it has appeared on many compilations and re-releases since then. The single's B-side was "Dreams of Children", which had originally been intended to be the A-side; following a mix-up at the pressing plant, the single became a double-A-side, and DJs tended to choose the more melodic "Going Underground" to play on the radio.

In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Going Underground" at number 73 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks, and in October 2006 placed it at number 98 in their list of the 100 Greatest Songs Ever.

Covers

Ade Edmondson's folk punk band The Bad Shepherds covered it in 2013.

The Comedy band Amateur Transplants released a two-minute parody titled "London Underground" in 2005, in the light of the December strike. It became a popular download in the United Kingdom.

The Jam

The Jam were an English punk rock/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped clothes, and they incorporated a number of mainstream 1960s rock and R&B influences rather than rejecting them, placing The Jam at the forefront of the mod revival movement.

They had 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1982, including four number one hits. As of 2007, "That's Entertainment" and "Just Who Is the 5 O'Clock Hero?" remained the best-selling import singles of all time in the UK. They released one live album and six studio albums, the last of which, The Gift, hit number one on the UK album charts. When the group split up, their first 15 singles were re-released and all placed within the top 100.

The band drew upon a variety of stylistic influences over the course of their career, including 1960s beat music, soul, rhythm and blues and psychedelic rock, as well as 1970s punk and new wave. The trio was known for its melodic pop songs, its distinctly English flavour and its mod image. The band launched the career of Paul Weller, who went on to form The Style Council and later had a successful solo career. Weller wrote and sang most of The Jam's original compositions, and he played lead guitar, using a Rickenbacker. Bruce Foxton provided backing vocals and prominent basslines, which were the foundation of many of the band's songs, including the hits "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", "The Eton Rifles", "Going Underground" and "Town Called Malice".

Underground

Underground most commonly refers to:

Underground may also refer to:

Places

Arts and entertainment

Film

Going

Going may refer to:

See also