"Do Nothing" is a song by

ska Ska (; , ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a w ...

/ 2-tone band

The Specials The Specials, also known as the Special AKA, were an English 2 tone and ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry. After some early changes, the first stable lineup of the group consisted of Terry Hall and Neville Staple on vocals, J ...

, released in December 1980 by

2 Tone Records 2 Tone Records was an English independent record label that mostly released ska and reggae-influenced music with a punk rock and pop music overtone. It was founded by Jerry Dammers of the Specials and backed by Chrysalis Records. History J ...

as the second single from '' More Specials''. The single peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart.

Release

For the single release of "Do Nothing", the album version of the song was remixed, with

Jerry Dammers Jeremy David Hounsell Dammers GCOT (born 22 May 1955) is a British musician who was a founder, keyboard player and primary songwriter of the Coventry-based ska band the Specials (also known as the Special A.K.A.) and later the Spatial AKA Orch ...

adding a string synthesiser, credited as the 'Ice Rink String Sounds'. It was released as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

single with a cover version of Bob Dylan's " Maggie's Farm", with reference to then-

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

. It was the first Specials single in the UK to diverge from the 2 Tone look and have a picture sleeve, with the cover being the band "gathered in a gaudy fun pub clad in polyester leisurewear, an image carrying the pungent subtext that modern life was rubbish". The band's appearance on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'' with this song also saw a depart from the suits and mod/ rude-boy look, with the band wearing Christmas jumpers. Also on ''Top of the Pops'' were The Beat, promoting " Too Nice to Talk To" and

Horace Panter Stephen Graham "Horace" Panter, (born 30 August 1953) also known professionally as Sir Horace Gentleman, is the bassist for the British 2 Tone ska band The Specials. Early life Panter was born in Croydon, Surrey and spent most of his formativ ...

and David Steele decided to swap roles and mime each other's band's songs.

Reception

Reviewing the song for ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'', Mike Gardner wrote: "A new, improved version of Lynval Golding's song of social frustration is given a lusher treatment with washes of Jerry Dammers' 'Ice Rink String Sounds' and a heavier rhythm base which does nothing to diminish a quality piece of work." Reviewing for ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'', Ronnie Gurr wrote: "Great Reginald Dixon organ sound from Jerry Dammers and more exemplary trombone etchings from Rico. A truly excellent single. Flip over and find a horrendous cocktail lounge calypso cover of Dylan's "Maggie's Farm". Excusable only if it's a political statement."

Charts

References

{{authority control 1980 singles 1980 songs The Specials songs 2 Tone Records singles Songs written by Lynval Golding Songs written by Jerry Dammers