found myself in a 'STRANGE TOWN'...................

with many thanks to TRACIE YOUNG and her many fb friends

Found myself in a strange town
Though I've only been here for three weeks now
I've got blisters on my feet
Trying find a friend in Oxford Street
I bought an A to Z guide book
Trying to find the clubs and YMCAs
But when you ask in a strange town
They say don't know, don't care
And I've got to go, mate

They worry themselves about feeling low
They worry themselves about the dreadful snow
They all ignore me 'cause they don't know
I'm really a spaceman from those UFOs

You've got to move in a straight line
You've got to walk and talk in four four time
You can't be weird in a strange town
You'll be betrayed by your accent and manners

You've got to wear the right clothes
Be careful not to pick or scratch your nose
You can't be nice in a strange town
'Cause we don't know, don't care
And we got to go, man

Rush my money to the record shops
I stop off in a back street
Buy myself a snort
We got our own manifesto
Be kind to queers
And I'm so glad the revolution's here
It's nice and warm now!

I've finished with clubs where the music's loud
'Cause I don't see a face in a single crowd
There's no one there
I look in the mirror
But I can't be seen
Just a thin, clean layer of Mister Sheen
Looking back at me
Oh, oh

Found myself in a strange town
Though I've only been here for three weeks now
I've got blisters on my feet
Trying find a friend in Oxford Street

I bought an A to Z guide book
Trying to find the clubs and YMCAs
When you ask in a strange town
They say don't know, don't care
And I've got to go, mate

They worry themselves about feeling low
They worry themselves about the dreadful snow
They all ignore me 'cause they don't know
I'm really a spaceman from those UFOs

Strange town

Break it up
Baby don't shake it up
Break it up

The song "Strange Town" was released on 17 March 1979 by The Jam and reached #15 in the UK singles chart.

Backed by the Paul Weller-penned "The Butterfly Collector", the single was one of many The Jam singles that did not appear on any of the band's studio albums. "Strange Town" appears on the greatest hits album Snap!. "The Butterfly Collector" appears in the 1996 The Jam Collection compilation album as well as on Snap!.

The start of the promotional video for the single was filmed at the entrance to the underground section of London Victoria station.

The b-side song was covered by Noel Gallagher with Paul Weller at a Teenage Cancer Trust gig at the Royal Albert Hall in 2007. This track was also included on a CD of songs given away with the March 15th 2009 edition of the Sunday Times.[1] It has also been covered byGarbage as a b-side of the "Queer" single.

The same single was released in the U.S. in May 1979, as Polydor #14553. However, for the American release "The Butterfly Collector" was catalogued as the A-side. The single did not chart in the States. Pressings were issued on both see-through gold vinyl and standard black vinyl. The latter appears to be the less common variety, but neither is rare. Other than color, there is no difference between the two issues. There was no picture sleeve for the U.S. issue. Gold vinyl issues were packaged in a clear plastic sleeve. Black vinyl issues were marketed in standard Polydor house bags.

It’s the only top 40 record in chart history to mention the brand name of a furniture polish (Andy Nykolszyn)

Like many Jam singles – never appeared on a studio album (Stuart Bradley)

Butterfly Collector was the b-side in America (Kev Davies)

As seen in the video, Rick Buckler’s suit had shrunk at the dry cleaners

(Dommie Wobble Gray)

The Rickenbacker used in the video sold at auction for £10k (Mikey Sherwill)

The start of the video is filmed at Victoria Station (Stuart Bradley)

The live footage was shot at a venue which is now Ask Pizza (Mike Sherwell)

Noel Gallagher called ‘Strange Town’ a mini opera with Ricky’s (Strange Town)

Strange Town was originally called ‘Worlds Apart’ which Weller re-wrote into ‘Strange Town’ (Strange Town)

Probably one of the few top 40 hits with the word ‘queers’ (in the homosexual sense) in the lyrics (Andy Young)

A lot of non-UK versions of ‘Setting Sons’ had a free 7” inch of ‘Strange Town’ given away with it as a promo. (Rob Le Mod)

Covered exquisitely by The Afflicted in the late ‘90s (Lewis Frape)

Was released on yellow vinyl in America (Mick Mundell).