Best of the Modfather: The Top 5 Paul Weller Lyrics

“Oh don’t live up to your given roles / There’s more inside you that you won’t show” (‘Ghosts’, The Jam, 1982)

Appearing on the last album by The Jam titled The Gift, ‘Ghosts’ is one of the best songs. A great deal of credit needs to be given to Bruce Foxton, whose bass playing in this song is incredible. The sound of the bass almost ricochets out of the song itself and into the listener. The simple riff played by Weller complements the bass, anchoring it to the song whilst also letting it breathe and expand. 

The lyrics themselves can either be about a man or a woman. Personally, I believe that they are about a woman trying to hide who she truly is because of the social norms that she is frightened to break. Regardless of this, Weller is telling the subject not to care about conforming to the social normalities of sex and gender. He tells the subject not to “live up to your given roles” and show what is really inside. Weller alludes to the fact that the subject has the potential to be more, saying “there’s more inside you”.

 The song can also be interpreted as a lamentation of those who have died, hence the title ‘Ghosts’. Weller perhaps is lamenting the many people, both men and women, who have been capable of so much, yet have been stifled by society to stay in line. This has meant that many talents have been destroyed and humankind itself has been restricted by its own social normalities.

Selecting five songs from a collection as large as Weller’s, even by restricting it to his first two bands, presents a tremendous amount of difficulty. These five that I have chosen barely begin to scratch the surface of his vast body of work. However, they are a good place to start if one wants to discover Weller and his music. 

Paul Weller was and still is a lyrical genius. His ability to shift between different styles of music effortlessly and constantly reinvent himself is a gift that few have ever possessed. He has the ability to combine numerous genres of music and incredibly powerful lyrics together, creating something where the music and the lyrics are woven together. Too many pieces of music these days are mutually exclusive from the lyrics that accompany them. They exist on two different levels. Weller makes them interdependent of each other.

He is easily one of the greatest songwriters and musicians to have ever lived. Among countless honourable mentions, Weller has received four Brit Awards, including two awards for Best British Male, and the award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2010, he was awarded the NME Godlike Genius award. However, to be honest, Weller doesn’t care about the awards. He never has done. All he has ever cared about, and will continue to care about until the end, is making music. 

Paul Weller’s new album, On Sunset, is out on 3 July 2020.

Words by William Cooper