Song · The Jam
“The Modern World” by The Jam
From the album This Is the Modern World (1977)
“The Modern World” by The Jam appears on 6 radio countdowns from 4 stations between 1989 and 2024. It was first released in 1977 on the album This Is the Modern World. Its best result is #126 on the Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,045 alternative song of all time.
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"The Modern World" hit the shops on 28 October 1977 on Polydor, a single from the Jam ahead of their second album, This Is the Modern World. Paul Weller wrote it, sings it and plays guitar, with Bruce Foxton on bass and vocals and Rick Buckler on drums, and Vic Coppersmith-Heaven and Chris Parry produced.
It's Weller at his most bristling, a young man telling the critics exactly where to go, all clipped chords and swagger. The single version even softened his curse at reviewers, swapping the expletive for a milder word. On the flip were two live covers, "Sweet Soul Music" and "Back in My Arms Again", caught at the 100 Club in London on 11 September 1977. It stalled at 36 on the UK singles chart.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 366 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1989) | 500 |
| 1991 | 424 | WOXY 97X | WOXY Modern Rock 500 (1991) | 500 |
| 2002 | 382 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (July 2002) | 2002 |
| 2003 | 126 | Fred (XM 44) | Fred XM Top 2044 Songs of All-Time (July 2003) | 2044 |
| 2022 | 328 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s | 908 |
| 2024 | 473 | KEXP | The Best Opening Tracks of All Time | 738 |
Also listed as: Modern World.
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