"Strange Town" is a 1979 single by the Jam. The single was released on 9 March 1979 and reached No. 15 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

on 8 April. In 1983 it was certified Silver for 250,000 sales This single, backed by the Paul Weller-penned "The Butterfly Collector", only appeared on one of the band's studio albums, the Canadian Polydor pressing of '' Setting Sons''. "Strange Town" also appears on the greatest hits album '' Snap!'' "The Butterfly Collector" also appears in the 1996 '' The Jam Collection'' compilation album as well as on ''Snap!'' The start of the promotional video for the single was filmed at the entrance to the underground section of

London Victoria station Victoria station, also known as London Victoria, is a central London railway terminus and connected London Underground station in Victoria, in the City of Westminster, managed by Network Rail. Named after the nearby Victoria Street (not the ...

US release

The single was also released in the US in May 1979, as Polydor #14553. However, for the American release "The Butterfly Collector" was catalogued as the A-side. The single did not chart in the States. Pressings were issued on both see-through gold vinyl and standard black vinyl. The latter appears to be the less common variety, but neither edition is rare. Other than colour, there is no difference between the two issues. There was no picture sleeve for the US issue. Gold vinyl issues were packaged in a clear plastic sleeve. Black vinyl issues were marketed in standard Polydor house sleeves.

"The Butterfly Collector"

The B-side, which Paul Weller wrote about NME music journalist Julie Burchill, was covered by

Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...

with Weller at a Teenage Cancer Trust gig at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in 2007. This track was also included on a CD of songs given away with the 15 March 2009 edition of ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, wh ...

''. It has also been covered by Garbage as a b-side of the " Queer" single: that version was later included on the tribute album, '' Fire & Skill: The Songs of the Jam''.

Reception

The song was ranked at number five among the top "Tracks of the Year" for 1979 by '' NME''. In a 2015 interview granted to Radio X, Paul Weller opined "Strange Town" as one of the three best songs he has written in his entire career.

Track listing

:A. "Strange Town" – 3:48 :B. "The Butterfly Collector" – 3:11

References

1979 singles The Jam songs Songs written by Paul Weller Polydor Records singles 1979 songs Song recordings produced by Vic Coppersmith-Heaven {{1970s-single-stub