Eton Rifles by The Jam

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Introduction To The Jam

The Jam were an English mod revival band of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Although they shared the angry young men outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore Mod style neatly tailored suits rather than ripped clothes and incorporated a number of mainstream 1960s rock influences, rather than rejecting them.

Eton Rifles was one of the Greatest Hits of The Jam, about an incident at Eton near Slough in Middlesex, west of London.

The band had 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their breakup in 1982, including 4 number one hits. As of 2007, they 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, all 18 singles were re-released and all placed within the top 60.

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 rock, pop 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 and Town Called Malice.

See (Wikipedia for more information)

Song Lyrics: Eton Rifles by The Jam

Eton Rifles - The Jam from the Album "Setting Sons" 1979


Sup up your beer and collect your fags
There's a row going on down near Slough
Get out your mat and pray to the West
I'll get out mine and pray for myself.

Thought you were smart when you took them on
But you didn't take a peep in their artillery room
All that rugby puts hairs on your chest
What chance have you got against a tie and a crest ?

Hello hooray what a nice day, for the Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles
Hello hooray I hope rain stops play, with the Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles

Thought you were clever when you lit the fuse
Tore down the House of Commons in your brand new shoes
Composed a revolutionary symphony
Then went to bed with a charming young thing.

Hello hooray cheers then mate, its the Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles
Hello hooray an extremist scrape, with the Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles

What a catalyst you turned out to be
Loaded the guns then you run off home for your tea
Left me standing, like a guilty schoolboy.

What a catalyst you turned out to be
Loaded the guns then you run off home for your tea
Left me standing, like a naughty schoolboy.

We came out of it naturally the worst
Beaten and bloody and I was sick down my shirt
We were no match for their untamed wit
Though some of the lads said they'd be back next week.

Hello hooray there's a price to pay, to the Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles
Hello hooray I'd prefer the plague, to the Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles

Hello hooray there's a price to pay, to the Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles
Hello hooray I'd prefer the plague, to the Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles
Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles
Eton Rifles, Eton Rifles

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The Jam Eton Rifles Videos

The Jam Performing Eton Rifles Live

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