"Paul Weller left British journalist Paolo Hewitt with the impression that 'Strange Town' was about an alien visiting London, and perhaps it is, as the singer swallows so many of the song's lyrics that it's difficult to be sure. But the ones that he does enunciate perfectly describe not an alien, but the feeling of alienation that is experienced by any tourist or immigrant. Ask directions in Weller's strange town and the response is, 'I don't know, I don't care, and I got to go mate.' Inquire in the wrong clothes and wrong accent, and they'll 'smash your nose.' Tired, friendless and frustrated, this visitor is no happy camper, and no poster child for the London Tourist Board. ... There was a toughness about 'Strange Town' that was new to the band, as producer Vic Coppersmith-Heaven transformed their previously youthful energy into an adult aggression that matched Weller's own bitterness at this time."
allmusic
W - "Strange Town" / "The Butterfly Collector"
YouTube: "Strange Town", "The Butterfly Collector"
2009 March: The Jam, 2011 December: Down in the Tube Station at Midnight, 2012 November: "Going Underground", 2013 January: In the City, 2013 February: This Is the Modern World, 2013 July: All Mod Cons, 2013 November: Setting Sons, 2014 January: Sound Affects (1980), 2014 December: Live At Bingley Hall, Birmingham, England 1982, 2015 March: "Town Called Malice" / "Precious", 2015 July: The Gift (1982).
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