The Clash - This Is England

Regarded by many as the last great song by The Clash, 'This is England' was written in 1983 and released as the lead single from the 1985 album Cut The Crap. Recorded after Mick Jones' departure, it reached number 24 in UK and was also their last original chart hit. Subsequent re-releases of 'I Fought The Law' and 'Rock The Casbah' to support the 1988 anthologies The Story of the Clash and 1991's The Singles made the Top 30. Most notable, however, was the rerelease of 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go' in 1991, which topped the chart on UK following its prominent use in a commercial for Levi Jeans, and providing The Clash with their only number one. Of course 'This is England' also leant its title to the 2006 Shane Meadows' film set in 1983, exploring the same themes of white nationalism and far right extremism that are gestured to the in the song's lyrics. The film documents the fracture over issues of race in the skinhead subculture, which had its roots in West Indian ska and reggae. This line of fault is mirrored in the legacy of The Clash, who fused the rawness of punk with the back-beat skank rhythms of dub, reggae and ska. In a rare interview from this later period, on Italian TV show Mister Fantasy, Joe Strummer narrates his political beliefs to Carlo Massarini...