Launching on the November 1980 album Sound Affects, The Jam’s song That’s Entertainment is a favourite acoustic number of ours. The punk-mod revivalist band was from near London and had already had big hits like Going Underground (1980).

It’s a song about the bleak nature of working class life in the UK. British citizens left to rot by a Conservative government, but in the upbeat song structure you can find a quiet resilience. Affecting, then, and a classic to always celebrate.

Making the Most of it in That’s Entertainment

This is track six on the Sound Affects album. Weirdly, That’s Entertainment wasn’t officially released as a single. At least, not at first. Instead, the song Start! was the lead single and reached No. 1 in the UK charts.

But That’s Entertainment was so popular it charted as an import single at No. 21. It was eventually given a proper release in 1983, a year after the band had split. This led to it only charting at No. 60.

It follows a classic British tradition of stoically mocking urban decay and poverty; stiff upper lip and all that. You can see this in other great British songs, such as the beautiful Waterfall by The Stone Roses. The Jam’s Paul Weller wrote the song and ironic detachment of the lyrics towards his working class roots:

Days of speed and slow time Mondays,
Pissing down with rain on a boring Wednesday,
Watching the news and not eating your tea,
A freezing cold flat and damp on the walls,

I say that’s entertainment, that’s entertainment.

Waking up at 6am on a cool warm morning,
Opening the windows and breathing in petrol,
An amateur band rehearsing in a nearby yard,
Watching the telly and thinking about your holidays,

That’s entertainment, that’s entertainment.

It must be stressed how sardonic the song’s title is. It’s an entirely laconic aside.

A police car and a screaming siren,
Pneumatic drill and ripped-up concrete,
A baby wailing, stray dog howling,
The screech of brakes and lamp light blinking,

That’s entertainment, that’s entertainment.

The bleak undertones of the lyrics are driven on by an upbeat acoustic guitar, bass, and minimalist drumming from Rick Buckler. Bassist Bruce Foxton also provides the harmonic chorus vocals. Paul Weller told The Guardian in a 2009 interview:

“I wrote it in 10 minutes flat, whilst under the influence, I’d had a few but some songs just write themselves. It was easy to write, I drew on everything around me [in London].”

If you’re not from England, the working class suburbs around the country have been devastated by Conservative governments over the decades. It’s often very bleak. It rains a lot in England and you’ve got that cold, dreary outlook set alongside limited job opportunities, low wages, and outlets through drinking/smoking heavily.

Key to the song is Weller’s focus on those small creature comforts.

He references cuddling with a partner, feeding ducks in the park, thinking about your holidays, or catching some local band playing. But there is his focus on seeking an escape and getting away from it all. Compare the themes to Ian Brown and John Squire’s writing on The Stone Roses’ Waterfall:

Chimes sing Sunday morn,
Today’s the day she’s sworn,
To steal what she never could own,
And race from this hole she calls home.

That’s Entertainment was included in the Rolling Stone’s top 500 songs of all list, coming in at No. 306. The only Jam song to appear, oddly, even though the likes of Ghosts and Town Called Malice should be in there, too.

Notable Live Performances of That’s Entertainment

Here are the guys live in 1982 in one of their final live performances together. The Jam split under quite unusual circumstances. No major fallout, just Weller wanted creative freedom and new musical directions. Weller suddenly announced the split in October 1982, shocking fans.

He didn’t consult with his band members, he just announced it at the end of the UK tour. They’ve never reformed, but apparently Weller is on good terms with bassist Bruce Foxton (although not with drummer Rick Buckler).

Weller continues to perform That’s Entertainment as part of his solo career live set, but there’s a special resonance in seeing the original trio performing it above.