"Jimmy Jimmy" is a Top 20
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
song originally written and recorded by
Northern Irish
The people of Northern Ireland are all people born in Northern Ireland and having, at the time of their birth, at least one parent who is a British Nationality Law, British citizen, an Irish nationality law, Irish citizen or is otherwis ...
band
the Undertones in the spring of 1979. The song was written by the band's main songwriter,
John O'Neill, it was the Undertones' third single and was released on 20 April 1979, reaching number 16 on the
UK Singles Chart, making "Jimmy Jimmy" the Undertones' first Top 20 single. The song was included on both the original issue and subsequent reissue of the band's debut album, ''
The Undertones''.
Two versions of the single were issued: A conventional black vinyl version of the single housed in a yellow paper sleeve sporting a photograph of the band's lead singer,
Feargal Sharkey, as a youngster, holding a trophy he had won at a
Fèis Doíre Colmcílle festival, and a green vinyl version—displaying the same image—housed in a clear plastic sleeve with a paper inlay detailing dates and venues of then-forthcoming gigs across the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
.
The decision to simultaneously release "Jimmy Jimmy" on both coloured and traditional black vinyl was made by
Sire Records to give the single a competitive edge in the charts following the relative commercial failure of the band's previous single, "Get over You".
Reception
Music journalist Cliff White reviewed the single in the May 1979 edition of ''
Smash Hits'', stating: "Hmm. Either my record player is on the brink or the Undertones have made a disappointingly weak slab of nothing special, stitched together from bits of other people's old rock hits.
Track listing
References
External links
* Jimmy Jimm
lyrics* The Undertone
official website
{{The Undertones
1979 singles
Sire Records singles
Songs written by John O'Neill (guitarist)
Songs about suicide
The Undertones songs