The Clash “Tommy Gun” b/w “1-2 Crush On You” 1978. Today, August 21st, is Joe Strummer’s birthday (b. John Graham Mellor 1952, d. 2002). “Tommy Gun” was the Clash’s first single release from the ‘78 LP Give ‘Em Enough Rope; it charted at #19 in the UK. The staccato’d snare mimics the ratatatat of a machine gun while the lyrics relate to the scourge of terrorism of the late 70′s (particularly Germany’s Red Army Faction whose bombing, assassinations and shootout activity in ‘77 caused a national crisis and Italy’s Red Brigade which in ‘78 kidnapped and murdered the former Prime Minister). Mick Jones wrote the B-side “1-2 Crush On You” before Strummer joined the Clash in ‘76. It has Jones on lead vocals (and guitar) and like most Jones-led songs, has a distinctly pop flavor, is a bit singsongy and MUCH less political, focusing rather on the trials and tribulations of young love: “Standing in a queue of a school canteen/Guys on the corner they were laughin’ at me/But I don’t mind if they see it all/You know I gotta come clean/I gotta come clean/I got a crush on you.”