Youth of Today (song)
{{Infobox song
| name = Youth of Today
| cover = Musical Youth Youth of Today single.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| type = single
| artist = Musical Youth
| album = The Youth of Today
| B-side = Gone Straight
| released = {{start date|1982|11|12|df=yes}}{{cite journal|title=School's out for Musical Youth|journal=Record Mirror|date=6 November 1982|page=9|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/82/Record-Mirror-1982-11-06-OCR.pdf|access-date=19 March 2022}}
| recorded = 1982
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = * Reggae
| length = * {{duration|m=2|s=56}} (7" version)
- {{duration|m=5|s=28}} (12" version)
| label = MCA
| writer = * Freddie Waite
- Musical Youth
| producer = Peter Collins
| prev_title = Pass the Dutchie
| prev_year = 1982
| next_title = Never Gonna Give You Up
| next_year = 1983
}}
"Youth of Today" is a song by British-Jamaican reggae band Musical Youth, released in November 1982 as the second single from their debut album The Youth of Today. It peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, and was a top 10 hit in the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland.
Reception
Reviewing for Smash Hits, Neil Tennant wondered "if it was a good idea for Musical Youth to have to produce a follow-up quite so quickly. This is warm and bouncy but lacks the array of hooks the formidable array of hooks that "Pass The Dutchie" possessed".{{cite journal |date=11–24 November 1982 |title=Singles |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/51106663438/in/album-72157718893345764/ |journal=Smash Hits |page=25 |access-date=19 March 2022 |via=flickr.com}} John Shearlaw for Record Mirror described it as "a more or less original composition strongly reminiscent of Pat Kelly ('I'm In Love With You') that stays sweet and neat but is nothing like hard enough to bash the charts. Or indeed the ears".{{cite journal |date=13 November 1982 |title=Singles |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Record-Mirror/80s/82/Record-Mirror-1982-11-13-OCR.pdf |journal=Record Mirror |page=18 |access-date=19 March 2022}}
Music video
The music video for the song was directed by Don Letts and was filmed in London in October 1982.{{cite web |url=http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=19740 |title="Youth of today" |publisher=mvdbase.com |access-date=2022-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051105174300/http://www.mvdbase.com/video.php?id=19740 |archive-date=2005-11-05}}
Track listings
- "Youth of Today" – 2:56
- "Gone Straight" – 3:08
- "Youth of Today" (Special 12" Club Version) – 5:28
- "Gone Straight" – 5:22
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1982–83) !Peak |
| scope="row"|Australia (Kent Music Report){{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=212}}
|99 |
|---|
| {{single chart|Flanders|7|artist=Musical Youth|song=Youth of Today|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|Ireland2|9|song=Youth of Today|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|4|artist=Musical Youth|song=Youth of Today|rowheader=true}} |
| {{single chart|New Zealand|19|artist=Musical Youth|song=Youth of Today|rowheader=true}} |
| scope="row"|Spain (AFYVE){{cite book|last=Salaverri|first=Fernando|title=Sólo éxitos 1959–2012|date=2015|publisher=Fundación Autor-SGAE|isbn=978-84-8048-866-2|edition=1st|location=Spain}}
|12 |
| {{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|13|artist=Musical Youth|rowheader=true|refname="UK"}} |
| {{single chart|West Germany|29|artist=Musical Youth|song=Youth of Today|songid=18041|rowheader=true}} |
References
{{reflist}}
{{Musical Youth}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Song recordings produced by Peter Collins (record producer)