Desert Island Discs (with a twist) Part 2: Man in the Corner Shop - The Jam

First posted on another blog on Jan 2nd

My relationship with Paul Weller is a curious oddity. From 1979 to 1982 (the previous post would inform that I wasn't there in '77 or '78), I hung onto every word until that fateful autumn day when news broke that The Jam were breaking up. Through The Style Council years the flame burned and flickered before ultimately being extinguished as this part of his career also finished quite abruptly. So, surely I would have been there as the solo career kicked into gear, the 'Modfather' years and a procession to becoming an iconic name in British music. Sadly not. Something died in '82, but not before a lifetime legacy dug in. 

When asked to name a Jam song, this track buried on the Sound Affects album would be well down the list. This Desert Island Discs (with a twist) series is not necessarily about personal favourites or perceived best songs. It is about those with a back story and a position that proved pivotal. Man in the Corner Shop may or may not have been written from a pure political perspective, but for me it was enlightening, At the age of fourteen I could recite every lyric from every favourite song. In The Jam's case, it was almost the case of every song. So when I was blurting out 'God created all men equal', while sitting in History lessons learning about Robert Owen and the Chartist movement of the 19th century, a seed was planted that grew and grew. 

My left of centre politics emerged not from family influence, but from the lyrics of Paul Weller as he bemoaned the capitalist system in Man in the Corner Shop. To put this in context, I was a Thatcher child who despised everything she stood for. From following every husting of the '83 election while studying monetary Economics at college, though the optimism of '97 to the darkest hour of 13/12/2019, my support for the left has been resolute to the extent that it is there for life. Paul Weller has certainly got something to answer for, although I prefer to say thanks for. 

When putting together this short list of pivotal records, Man in the Corner Shop by The Jam didn't come straight to mind. However, it didn't take too much additional effort for its worth to project to the fore. Its influence and meaningful existence was identified at the time and has never waned in the intervening years. Yes, other political records have landed since, but none with the impact on the curious mind of a fourteen year old in 1980 as this buried album track.