Absolute Beginners (The Jam song)

"Absolute Beginners"
Single by the Jam
B-side"Tales from the Riverbank"
Released16 October 1981
GenreMod revival, pop soul
Length2:50
LabelPolydor
Songwriter(s)Paul Weller
Producer(s)Peter Wilson and The Jam
The Jam singles chronology
"Funeral Pyre"
(1981)
"Absolute Beginners"
(1981)
"Town Called Malice" / "Precious"
(1982)
Music video
"Absolute Beginners" on YouTube

"Absolute Beginners" was a single released by the Jam on 16 October 1981. The song did not appear on any of the band's studio albums; it reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart.[1] The song was named after the Colin MacInnes novel of the same name. The book was one of songwriter Paul Weller's favourites, being chosen by him when he appeared on Desert Island Discs.[2]

"Tales from the Riverbank" appeared as the B-side. The band's record company Polydor later stated that they believed "Tales from the Riverbank" should have been released as the A-side.[citation needed]

The song also appeared on the soundtrack for the 1997 film Grosse Pointe Blank.[3]

  1. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 277. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ "Paul Weller's Desert Island Discs". Mojo4music.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  3. ^ "Grosse Pointe Blank (1997)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 12 October 2022.