Song · The Jam
“Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” by The Jam
From the album All Mod Cons (1978)
“Down in the Tube Station at Midnight” by The Jam appears on 12 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 1978 and 2023. It was first released in 1978 on the album All Mod Cons. Its best result is #4 on the John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1979). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,698 alternative song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (TheJamVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" is a grim little short story set to music by Paul Weller, the second single off the Jam's third album, All Mod Cons, in 1978. It follows a man riding alone who ducks into a London Underground station to catch the last train home and gets set upon by a gang while he's buying his ticket, and the band plays it tense and urgent, like a pulse you can hear in your ears.
It almost didn't make the record. Weller wanted it left off because he didn't think the arrangement had come together in the sessions, and producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven talked him round. It was cut at RAK Studios in London on 7 August 1978, and the single came backed with a cover of the Who's "So Sad About Us" and Bruce Foxton's "The Night".
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 24 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1978) | 50 |
| 1979 | 4 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1979) | 50 |
| 1980 | 4 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1980) | 50 |
| 1981 | 13 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1981) | 50 |
| 1982 | 11 | John Peel (BBC Radio 1) | John Peel's All-Time Festive Fifty (1982) | 50 |
| 1989 | 87 | Triple J | Triple J Hottest 100 of All-Time (1989) | 100 |
| 1991 | 286 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) | 1002 |
| 2001 | 418 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 500 |
| 2005 | 287 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 500 |
| 2006 | 458 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) | 500 |
| 2022 | 850 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
| 2023 | 660 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 800 Songs About Places | 800 |
Also listed as: Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" (7; Down In The Tube Station At Midnight; Down In The Tube Station at Midnight.
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight" by The Jam.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.