"Do Nothing"
Single by The Specials featuring Rico with the Ice Rink String Sounds
from the album More Specials
A-side"Maggie's Farm"
Released5 December 1980 (1980-12-05)[1]
Genre
Length3:41
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dave Jordan
The Specials singles chronology
"Stereotype" / "International Jet Set"
(1980)		 "Do Nothing" / "Maggie's Farm"
(1980)		 "Ghost Town"
(1981)

"Do Nothing" is a song by ska/2-tone band The Specials, released in December 1980 by 2 Tone Records as the second single from More Specials. The single peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart.[3]

Release

For the single release of "Do Nothing", the album version of the song was remixed, with Jerry Dammers adding a string synthesiser, credited as the 'Ice Rink String Sounds'. It was released as a double A-side single with a cover version of Bob Dylan's "Maggie's Farm", with reference to then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.[4]

It was the first Specials single in the UK to diverge from the 2 Tone look and have a picture sleeve, with the cover being the band "gathered in a gaudy fun pub clad in polyester leisurewear, an image carrying the pungent subtext that modern life was rubbish".[5] The band's appearance on Top of the Pops with this song also saw a depart from the suits and mod/rude-boy look, with the band wearing Christmas jumpers. Also on Top of the Pops were The Beat, promoting "Too Nice to Talk To" and Horace Panter and David Steele decided to swap roles and mime each other's band's songs.[6]

Reception

Reviewing the song for Record Mirror, Mike Gardner wrote: "A new, improved version of Linval Golding's song of social frustration is given a lusher treatment with washes of Jerry Dammers' 'Ice Rink String Sounds' and a heavier rhythm base which does nothing to diminish a quality piece of work."[7] Reviewing for Smash Hits, Ronnie Gurr wrote: "Great Reginald Dixon organ sound from Jerry Dammers and more exemplary trombone etchings from Rico. A truly excellent single. Flip over and find a horrendous cocktail lounge calypso cover of Dylan's "Maggie's Farm". Excusable only if it's a political statement."[8]

Charts

Chart (1981) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[9] 13
UK Singles (OCC)[3] 4

References

  1. ↑ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 6 December 1980. p. 26. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  2. ↑ Harrington, Jon (2016). "The Specials - More Specials". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 469.
  3. 1 2 "Specials: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  4. ↑ "Do Nothing | The Specials | 2 Tone Records". Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  5. ↑ Chick, Stevie (2015-03-11). "The Specials: 10 of the best". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-02-13.
  6. ↑ Panter, Horace (2008). Ska'd for Life: A Personal Journey with The Specials. Pan. pp. 255–256. ISBN 978-0330440738.
  7. ↑ "Singles" (PDF). Record Mirror. 6 December 1980. p. 4. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Singles". Smash Hits. 11–24 December 1980. p. 32. Retrieved 13 February 2021 – via flickr.com.
  9. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Do Nothing". Irish Singles Chart.
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