Food for Thought (song)
"Food for Thought" is the first single released by British reggae band UB40. It reached number four in the UK Singles Chart in early 1980 and number one in New Zealand in September 1980.
| "Food For Thought" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by UB40 | ||||
| from the album Signing Off | ||||
| A-side | "King" (double A-side) | |||
| Released | 1 February 1980 | |||
| Genre | Reggae | |||
| Length | 4:10 | |||
| Label | Graduate | |||
| Songwriter(s) | UB40 | |||
| Producer(s) | Bob Lamb | |||
| UB40 singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The original single version is slightly shorter compared to the Signing Off album version, with the album version including a break using a synthesiser reverb (an early example of their mixing techniques that can be found on their album Present Arms in Dub).
According to Robin Campbell, the lyrics relate to "the hypocrisy of Christmas, the fact that there are starving people in Africa and here we are all sat around eating our Christmas dinner and praising the Lord".[1] Campbell regards the song as a Christmas song.[1]
"Food for Thought" was released as a double A-side along with "King", which was a song written about Martin Luther King Jr.,[2] questioning the lost direction of the deceased leader's followers and the state of mourning of a nation after his death.
"Food for Thought" was the first release of a new record label, Graduate Records, a company based, like the band, in Birmingham.[3] It was the first single to reach the UK Top 10 without the backing of a major record company.[3]
Charts
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] | 36 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[5] | 10 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] | 46 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] | 1 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 4 |
References
- "How I wrote... 'Food For Thought' by UB40's Robin Campbell", Songwriting, 15 September 2013
- Larkin, Colin (2011). Encyclopedia of Popular Music. p. 3605. ISBN 9780857125958
- "UB40 – Strength in Numbers" by Chris Salewicz, SPIN, June 1985, pp. 60–61
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 316. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
- "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Food for Thought". Irish Singles Chart.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – UB40 – Food for Thought" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
- "Charts.nz – UB40 – Food for Thought". Top 40 Singles.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 May 2020.