The Jam – Town called malice

The Jam fue una banda de los 70 y los 80, que mezcló varios géneros, entre ellos el punk rock, el power pop o el mod revival (del estilo de los Who). Tuvieron un gran éxito en su país, el Reino Unido, y en mayor o menor medida en el resto de Europa, pero en Estados Unidos no obtuvieron éxito comercial, siendo relegados a grupo de culto.

Esta canción, A town called malice es de la última época de la banda, en la cual incluían ritmos de rythm and blues, además de un toque funk. Personalmente me encanta como suena el órgano durante toda la canción, la cual me gusta mucho y el vídeo, a pesar de esa curiosa estética de aspecto retro, no me parece tan bueno como la canción.

Better stop dreaming of the quiet life –
cos it’s the one we’ll never know
And quit running for that runaway bus –
cos those rosey days are few
And – stop apologising for the things you’ve never done,
Cos time is short and life is cruel –
but it’s up to us to change
This town called malice.
Rows and rows of disused milk floats
stand dying in the dairy yard
And a hundred lonely housewives clutch empty milk
bottles to their hearts
Hanging out their old love letters on the line to dry
It’s enough to make you stop believing when tears come
fast and furious
In a town called malice.

Struggle after struggle – year after year
The atmosphere’s a fine blend of ice –
I’m almost stone cold dead
In a town called malice.

A whole street’s belief in Sunday’s roast beef
gets dashed against the Co-op
To either cut down on beer or the kids new gear
It’s a big decision in a town called malice.

The ghost of a steam train – echoes down my track
It’s at the moment bound for nowhere –
just going round and round
Playground kids and creaking swings –
lost laughter in the breeze
I could go on for hours and I probably will –
but I’d sooner put some joy back
In this town called malice.