"The Eton Rifles"
Single by The Jam
from the album Setting Sons
B-side(s)	See Saw
Released	3 November 1979
Format	7" vinyl
Genre	Mod revival
Label	Polydor (UK)
Chart positions
#3 (UK Singles Chart)
The Jam singles chronology
When You're Young (1979)	The Eton Rifles (1979)	Going Underground (1980)

"The Eton Rifles" was the only single to be released from the album Setting Sons by The Jam. Released on 3 November 1979, it became the band's first top ten hit when it entered the United Kingdom singles chart at #3. A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Setting Sons is the fourth album by British punk band The Jam. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... For the song by The Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour as a 33 â…“ LP vinyl record A gramophone record (also phonograph record, or simply record) is an analogue sound recording medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed modulated spiral groove starting near the periphery and ending near the center of the disc. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Polydor Records is a record label once headquartered in Germany. ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... When Youre Young was released as a one off single by The Jam. ... Going Underground was the first UK #1 chart single by British band The Jam, released in March 1980. ... Setting Sons is the fourth album by British punk band The Jam. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

It was backed by the B-side "See Saw". In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles have been released since the 1950s. ...

Lyrics

"The Eton Rifles" are a cadet corps of Eton College, a prestigious English public school in Berkshire. The song itself is a sarcastic homage to class war and the rivalry between boys at Eton and the neighbouring working class schoolboys, as perceived in the 1970s. A cadet is a person who is junior in some way. ... A corps (a word that migrated from the French language, pronounced IPA: , but originating in the Latin corpus, corporis meaning body; plural same as singular) is either a large military unit or formation, an administrative grouping of troops within an army with a common function (such as artillery or signals... The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, commonly known as Eton College or just Eton, is a public school (privately funded and independent) for male students, founded in 1440 by Henry VI. It is located in Eton, Berkshire, near Windsor in England, situated north of Windsor... A public school, has two distinct meanings: elementary or secondary school supported and administered by state and local officials or in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, a private boarding school, generally not coeducational, that prepares students for the university. ... Berks redirects here. ... Class conflict is both the friction that accompanies social relationships between members or groups of different social classes and the underlying tensions or antagonisms which exist in society. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ...

The song's lyrics, in common with many Jam tracks, contain several puns on English life and colloquialisms, including: A colloquialism is an expression not used in formal speech or writing. ...

"Sup up your beer and collect your fags, There's a row going on down near Slough" A lit filtered cigarette will burn to ash from one end. ... For slough as a type of aquatic feature, see Slough (wetland). ...

Literally, "drink up your beer and collect your cigarettes" - likely referring to a gathering in a pub. A 'fag' is also a British slang term for a young public schoolboy who must perform chores for an older student. Slough is a neighbouring Berkshire district to Eton and the lyric is possibly a pun, as Slough has been perceived as a more humble or even down-at-heel location, while Eton retains a popular image of prestige, particularly due to the College. An amusingly named pub (the Old New Inn) at Bourton-on-the-Water, in the Cotswold Hills of South West England A pub in the Haymarket area of Edinburgh, Scotland A public house, usually known as a pub, is a drinking establishment found mainly in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada...

"What chance have you got against a tie and a crest?"

A reference to school uniform and badges, particularly the influence of the "old school tie", where in many areas of life, being an alumnus of a prestigious school would make it easier to get into jobs or positions of authority in society. “Alumni” redirects here. ...

"Tore down the House of Commons in your brand new shoes"

The House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, contains many public school alumni, including those of Eton. Hence the reference to "tearing down" (or rushing to) there. The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The Houses of Parliament, seen over Westminster Bridge The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories. ...