The band drew upon a variety of stylistic influences over the course of their career, including 1960s beat music, soul, rhythm and blues and psychedelic rock, as well as 1970s punk and new wave. The trio was known for its melodic pop songs, its distinctly English flavour and its mod image. The band launched the career of Paul Weller, who went on to form The Style Council and later had a successful solo career. Weller wrote and sang most of The Jam’s original compositions, and he played lead guitar, using a Rickenbacker. Bruce Foxton provided backing vocals and prominent basslines, which were the foundation of many of the band’s songs, including the hits "Down in the Tube Station at Midnight", "The Eton Rifles", "Going Underground" and "Town Called Malice".
For artists called "Jam", please see http://www.last.fm/music/+noredirect/Jam.
The Planner's Dream Goes Wrong
The Jam Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Giving them plans and money to squander -
Should have been the worst of our fears
The dream life luxury living was a pleasant No. 10 whim,
But somewhere down the line of production
They left out human beings
They were gonna build communities
But the piss stench hallways and broken down lifts
Say the planners dream went wrong
If people were made to live in boxes
God would have given them string
To tie around their selves at bed time
And stop their dreams falling through the ceiling
And the public school boy computers -
Keep spewing out our future -
The house in the country designs the 14th floor
Old Mrs. Smith don't get out much more -
Coitus interruptus 'cause of next doors rows
Your washing gets nicked when the lights go out -
Baby's scream in the nightmare throng
But planners just get embarrassed when their plans GO WRONG!
The Jam's song The Planner's Dream Goes Wrong is a social commentary on how the government, represented by the planners in the song, have failed to provide decent housing for the people. The song's opening lines convey the idea that the planners' decision to entrust lunatics with important tasks was not the smartest move, which has resulted in their plans going awry. The lyrics then proceed to criticize the planners for their misplaced priorities, such as focusing more on luxury living rather than the basic needs of the people. This poor planning and execution have resulted in poorly built and maintained housing, in stark contrast to what was promised.
The song also conveys the idea that the government is out of touch with the needs of the common people. The planners' lofty goals of building communities and providing good housing are deemed hollow and unfulfilled. Instead, people are left to live in cramped, substandard living conditions with broken-down lifts and stinky hallways. The song implies that the planners are too caught up in their visions and fail to pay attention to the practicality of their plans, resulting in a massive failure. In addition, the song emphasizes the point of the human cost of these failures, with the people living in the housing being the ones who suffer.
Line by Line Meaning
Letting loose the lunatics - wasn't the greatest of ideas
Allowing crazy people to manage the project was not a wise decision.
Giving them plans and money to squander -
Providing them with resources to waste on their failed ideas.
Should have been the worst of our fears
It should have been expected that things would go wrong.
The dream life luxury living was a pleasant No. 10 whim,
The idea of luxurious living was a favorable notion emanating from Downing Street.
But somewhere down the line of production
At some point in the manufacturing process
They left out human beings
They failed to consider the human aspect of the project.
They were gonna build communities
Their aim was to create self-contained neighborhoods.
It was going to be pie in the sky -
It was an unfeasible pipe dream.
But the piss stench hallways and broken down lifts
However, the result was foul-smelling hallways and malfunctioning elevators.
Say the planners dream went wrong
These indicate that the planners' vision was a failure.
If people were made to live in boxes
If people's lives were restricted to tiny spaces.
God would have given them string
They would have been given the means to tie themselves to prevent themselves from falling out.
To tie around their selves at bed time
To tie themselves right before going to sleep.
And stop their dreams falling through the ceiling
To keep their aspirations from crashing down on them.
And the public school boy computers -
Computers with programming from elite schools
Keep spewing out our future -
Continue to dictate our future.
The house in the country designs the 14th floor
Homes that belong in the countryside built on the 14th floor.
Old Mrs. Smith don't get out much more -
An elderly woman who doesn't get out much.
Coitus interruptus 'cause of next doors rows
Sexual activities are interrupted by arguments with neighbors.
Your washing gets nicked when the lights go out -
Your laundry gets stolen when there's a power outage.
Baby's scream in the nightmare throng
Babies cry in their sleep amidst the chaotic ambiance.
But planners just get embarrassed when their plans GO WRONG!
The planners are ashamed when their ideas fail to come to fruition.
Contributed by Lucy P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Paul
Great album!
Rushdown
My fave 100%.. Love it.
Daniel Lopez
¿Calypso, really? Kool
Cappuccino Kid 67
Any new town. Telford, Milton Keynes so on and so forth