Beat Surrender
"Beat Surrender" was The Jam's final single, and was released on 22 November 1982. It became the band's fourth No. 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in December 1982.[3]
"Beat Surrender" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by The Jam | ||||
from the album Snap! | ||||
B-side | "Shopping" | |||
Released | 22 November 1982 | |||
Genre | Mod revival, pop soul, power pop[1] | |||
Length | 3:25 | |||
Label | Polydor (UK)[2] | |||
Songwriter(s) | Paul Weller[2] | |||
Producer(s) | Peter Wilson[2] | |||
The Jam singles chronology | ||||
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Title
The song's title was a play on words combining the title of the 1979 Anita Ward disco single Sweet Surrender with the British traditional military term of Beating Retreat signalling a withdrawal.[4]
Theme
Paul Weller, the lead vocalist/frontman of The Jam wrote the song as a valediction for the end of the band's career, which he broke up by walking away from shortly after its release. "I wanted it to be a statement, a final clarion call saying: Right, we're stopping, you take it on from here."[5]
Release format
The 7" was backed by the B-side "Shopping". A double 7" and 12" single version was available with additional studio cover versions of The Chi-Lites' "Stoned Out of My Mind", Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up", and Edwin Starr's "War".[2]
"Beat Surrender" was not included on any of the band's six studio albums. In the U.S., it appeared on the five-track EP, Beat Surrender (Polydor 810751), which peaked at No. 171 on the Billboard 200 album chart in April 1983.[6][7]
Cover art
The sleeve for the single, including the 12" and the double single pack, featured Gill Price, Weller's girlfriend at the time.
Performances
"Beat Surrender" was previewed live on the first episode of The Tube, on 5 November 1982.[8]
References
- Vincent Jeffries. "The Very Best of the Jam - The Jam | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 October 2016.
- "Jam, The – Beat Surrender (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 416. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- 'Interview with Paul Weller, 'Mojo' magazine, June 2015.
- Interview with Paul Weller, 'Mojo' magazine, June 2015.
- "Billboard.com: The Jam Chart History". billboard.com. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
- "Style Council, The – My Ever Changing Moods (12" vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
- "Nostalgia - TV's The Tube 30 Years On". thejournal.co.uk. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2017.