RockLists.com
Cover of Sound Affects by The Jam
Cover: Sound Affects

Song · The Jam

“Start” by The Jam

From the album Sound Affects (1980)

“Start” by The Jam appears on 23 radio countdowns from 6 stations between 1999 and 2025. It was first released in 1980 on the album Sound Affects. Its best result is #231 on the Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,001 alternative song of all time.

23countdowns
6stations
#231best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1999–2025years charted

Watch

The Jam - Start

Video from YouTube (TheJamVEVO). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Start!" was the Jam's first shot from Sound Affects, their fifth album, out as a single in August 1980, and Paul Weller's song borrows its bones from the Beatles: both the guitar riff and the bass line lean hard on George Harrison's "Taxman" from Revolver. Bruce Foxton has more or less owned up, saying they'd been living with that album and the lift crept in unintended, though he was glad it came out different enough to keep Paul McCartney from suing.

Weller sings lead and plays guitar, Foxton adds bass and vocals, Rick Buckler drums, and the band co-produced with Vic Coppersmith-Heaven. It entered the UK chart at number three and hit the top for a week a fortnight later, their second number one after "Going Underground". The album cut brings in trumpets for the final stretch.

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#StationCountdownof
1999 604 Q101 Q101 Top 1,011 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 1017
1999 1357 CD101 CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) 2000
2000 1357 CD101 CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) 2001
2001 1359 CD101 CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 2002
2001 231 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) 500
2002 1358 CD101 CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) 2003
2003 1344 CD101 CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) 2004
2003 236 Fred (XM 44) Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) 2044
2004 1344 CD101 CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 2005
2004 340 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) 500
2005 357 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2005) 500
2005 1344 CD101 CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 1994
2005 254 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) 500
2006 354 WOXY 97X WOXY Modern Rock 500 (2006) 499
2006 318 Virgin Radio Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) 500
2007 1034 CD101 CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) 2008
2008 979 CD101 CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) 2009
2009 1002 CD101 CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) 2010
2010 1039 CD101 CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) 2011
2011 1075 CD101 CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) 2011
2013 1084 CD101 CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) 2012
2014 1080 CD101 CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) 2013
2025 338 The Colorado Sound The Colorado Sound Top 800 Mood Booster Songs 800

Also listed as: Start!.

Comments

Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Start" by The Jam.

Be kind and stay on topic. Guidelines

No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.