Rudie Can't Fail

"Rudie Can't Fail" is a song by the English punk rock band The Clash, featured on their 1979 album London Calling. The song was written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, who sing it as a duet.

"Rudie Can't Fail"
Dutch single release
Song by The Clash
from the album London Calling
B-side"Bankrobber" / "Rockers Galore... UK Tour"
Released14 December 1979
RecordedJune–July, 1979
GenreReggae, post-punk
Length3:26
LabelCBS
Songwriter(s)Joe Strummer, Mick Jones
Producer(s)Guy Stevens

Composition

Like many songs on London Calling, "Rudie Can't Fail" has a strong reggae influence. Donald A. Guarisco of Allmusic described it as "an exuberant horn-driven number that mixes pop and soul elements in to spice up its predominantly reggae sound".[1]

Lyrics

"Rudie Can't Fail" praises the rude boys of Jamaica in the 1960s who challenged their elders' status quo. The song is about a fun-loving young man who is criticised by his elders for not acting as a responsible adult, drinking beer before breakfast,[2] and describe him as being "so crude and feckless", to which he responds "I know that my life make you nervous, but I tell you I can't live in service."[1] The song's title derives from Desmond Dekker's 1967 song "007 (Shanty Town)", and is in homage to Ray Gange, who had portrayed a roadie who quits his job to follow The Clash around in the 1980 film Rude Boy.[3] Rudie Can't Fail was the working title of a planned second movie for which The Clash would provide the soundtrack.[4] Reference is made also to Dr Alimantado, in the line "Like the doctor who was born for a purpose".[5] The phrase "Rudie Can't Fail" is also used repeatedly at the end of "Safe European Home" from Give 'Em Enough Rope.

The song Roses in the Hospital by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers references the song in its outro where lead singer James Dean Bradfield can be heard singing the line "Rudie gonna fail", fitting with the pessimistic tone of the Manics' early works.[6]

References
  1. Rudie Can't Fail at Allmusic
  2. Perone, James E. (2012). The Album: A Guide to Pop Music's Most Provocative, Influential, and Important Creations. ABC-CLIO. p. 162. ISBN 9780313379062. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  3. Gray, Marcus (2004). The Clash: Return Of The Last Gang In Town. Hal Leonard. pp. 253, 307. ISBN 9781617749179. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  4. Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Hal Leonard. p. 134. ISBN 9780879306076. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  5. Moskowitz, David Vlado (2006). Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall. Greenwood. p. 296. ISBN 9780313331589. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  6. "Roses in the Hospital (Remastered)".
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