Rudie Can't Fail - Remastered

A "Rudie" is a "Rude Boy," which is a term for the first English generation born to Jamaican parents who had immigrated to England - the so called JamEnglish generation. These "Rude Boys" were often looked down upon as irresponsible, which is the theme of this song, but others would celebrate their ways as a rebellious expression of freedom. The Clash were heavily influenced by Jamaican culture and reggae music, which is especially apparent on London Calling. (Thanks to Dave Wakeling of The English Beat for the lesson on the Jamaican influence on English music. Read more in his Songfacts interview.)

Rudy Giuliani used this during his run for the Republican nomination in 2008. Apparently, he didn't know what the song was about, although it wouldn't have mattered since he dropped out early after getting very little support. The song was also revived in the mid-1990s by fans of the UK football club Newcastle United as a chant of support for their then-manager Ruud Gullitt - the irony being that Rudie in this case did fail, being sacked after just one season as manager!

The lyrics to "Rudie Can't Fail" are a celebration of rude boy culture brought out of, according to singer Joe Strummer, "a summer going to West Indian blues dances and drinking Special Brew for breakfast," which explains the lyric "drinkin' brew for breakfast." Dave Mingay, one of the co-creators of the Rude Boy film about The Clash, suggested that the lyrics might be about the main star of that film, Ray Gange. The title is a reference to Desmond Dekker's reggae classic "007 (Shanty Town)" and a lyric line also nods to Dr Alimantado's "Born for a Purpose" ("Like the doctor who was born for a purpose") as well as a parochial reference to the bus Joe Strummer would take to the studio whilst recording the London Calling album ("On the route of the 19 bus!").