Song · The Jam
“Absolute Beginners” by The Jam
Released 1981
“Absolute Beginners” by The Jam appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2003 and 2025. It was first released in 1981. Its best result is #507 on The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #6,625 alternative song of all time.
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The Jam put out "Absolute Beginners" on Polydor on 16 October 1981 as a stand-alone single, one that never landed on a studio album, slotted between "Funeral Pyre" and "Town Called Malice". Paul Weller wrote it and borrowed the title from Colin MacInnes' novel, a book he loved enough to pick when he went on Desert Island Discs.
The band is all there, Weller on guitar, piano and vocals, Bruce Foxton on bass and Rick Buckler on drums, but the extra kick comes from the brass, with Martin Drover, Michael Laird and Luke Tunney all on trumpet. The Jam produced it with Peter Wilson. It climbed to number 4 in Britain, though Polydor later reckoned the flip, "Tales from the Riverbank", deserved to be the A-side. It later resurfaced on the soundtrack to the 1997 film Grosse Pointe Blank.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1675 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2025 | 507 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs | 800 |
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