Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
Encyclopedia
"Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" was the second single taken from the album All Mod Cons
by The Jam
. Released on 21 October 1978, it charted at number 15 and was backed by a cover
of the Who
song "So Sad About Us
", and "The Night", written by Bruce Foxton
. The back of the record jacket displayed a photo of Keith Moon
, former drummer of The Who
, who had died of an overdose of prescribed medication intended to help his alcoholism the month prior to the single's release.
station at midnight. He is carrying a take-away meal for himself and his wife. As he attempts to buy a ticket for his train, he is accosted by two thugs (who smell 'of pubs
, Wormwood Scrubs
' and 'too many right-wing
meetings'), asking him whether he is carrying any money. When he replies that he has 'a little money', the thugs attack him, stealing everything, including his keys. The song ends with the narrator lying wounded or potentially dying ("And the last thing that I saw as I lay there on the floor") on the Tube Station floor, looking at graffiti and wall posters, reflecting on his life in contrast with the travel posters promising an enjoyable getaway, as he realises that the attackers now have the keys to his house.
The song starts with the sounds of an Underground station then a tense, syncopated beat carried by the bass guitar. The lyrics are sentimental, contrasting the warmth of home and domestic life with the horror of urban decay and violence.
for their album 'Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera!' which was released in 2009. It's also the B-side of the Carter USM single 'Do Re Me So Far So Good'. Released in 1992 on Chrysalis. He was worried about them going to his house and attacking his wife
All Mod Cons
All Mod Cons is a 1978 album by the British band The Jam, their third full-length LP. The title, a British idiom one might find in housing advertisements, is short for "all modern conveniences" and is a pun on the band's association with the mod revival.The album was more commercially successful...
by The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
. Released on 21 October 1978, it charted at number 15 and was backed by a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
song "So Sad About Us
So Sad About Us
"So Sad About Us" is a 1966 song by British rock band The Who, first released on the band's second album A Quick One. Originally written for The Merseys, "So Sad About Us" has likely been covered more frequently than any other song on the album; according to the All Music Guide, it is "one of the...
", and "The Night", written by Bruce Foxton
Bruce Foxton
Bruce Foxton is an English rock and roll musician who is best known as the bass player in punk rock bands The Jam and Stiff Little Fingers.-Biography:...
. The back of the record jacket displayed a photo of Keith Moon
Keith Moon
Keith John Moon was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the English rock group The Who. He gained acclaim for his exuberant and innovative drumming style, and notoriety for his eccentric and often self-destructive behaviour, earning him the nickname "Moon the Loon". Moon...
, former drummer of The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, who had died of an overdose of prescribed medication intended to help his alcoholism the month prior to the single's release.
Development
Originally Paul Weller had wanted to exclude the track from the All Mod Cons album, on the grounds that the arrangement hadn't developed during the recording sessions. He was persuaded to include the track by the band's producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven. The song suffered a BBC airplay ban.Lyrics
The lyrics tell the story of an unnamed narrator, travelling home, who enters a London UndergroundLondon Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
station at midnight. He is carrying a take-away meal for himself and his wife. As he attempts to buy a ticket for his train, he is accosted by two thugs (who smell 'of pubs
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
, Wormwood Scrubs
Wormwood Scrubs (HM Prison)
HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs is a Category B men's prison, located in the Wormwood Scrubs area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, in inner west London, England. The prison is operated by Her Majesty's Prison Service....
' and 'too many right-wing
Far right
Far-right, extreme right, hard right, radical right, and ultra-right are terms used to discuss the qualitative or quantitative position a group or person occupies within right-wing politics. Far-right politics may involve anti-immigration and anti-integration stances towards groups that are...
meetings'), asking him whether he is carrying any money. When he replies that he has 'a little money', the thugs attack him, stealing everything, including his keys. The song ends with the narrator lying wounded or potentially dying ("And the last thing that I saw as I lay there on the floor") on the Tube Station floor, looking at graffiti and wall posters, reflecting on his life in contrast with the travel posters promising an enjoyable getaway, as he realises that the attackers now have the keys to his house.
The song starts with the sounds of an Underground station then a tense, syncopated beat carried by the bass guitar. The lyrics are sentimental, contrasting the warmth of home and domestic life with the horror of urban decay and violence.
Covers
The song has been recorded by Ade Edmondson's punk/folk band The Bad ShepherdsThe Bad Shepherds
The Bad Shepherds are a British folk band formed by the comedian Adrian Edmondson in 2008. They play punk songs with traditional folk instruments...
for their album 'Yan, Tyan, Tethera, Methera!' which was released in 2009. It's also the B-side of the Carter USM single 'Do Re Me So Far So Good'. Released in 1992 on Chrysalis. He was worried about them going to his house and attacking his wife