The Impetus of UB40

As an American I thought Rat in the Kitchen was about pests that hindered cooking and the need for an exterminator. No, it was about Margaret Thatcher. There are as many interpretations as there are interpreters.

Before MTV sucked, they played UB40. It was a good business model to copy what was coming out of England. There was a wide array of different bands. How did this group come together? They were unemployed.

Some bands come together to get girls. They may not have musical talent. With the right look and seeming like they are going somewhere- good thing they did not go into stand up comedy. I wouldn't know where to find stand up comedy at this point.

None of which has to do with UB40. They have some really good songs. One sign a band is in decline is when they rely on covers for airplay. Red Red Wine is a cover. I cannot say I ever heard the Neil Diamond version. That song was a hit in 1983 and again in 1988.

Find a good song to cover and make it your own. Various performers from Laura Branigan to Michael Bolton covered I Will Always Love You. None of their renditions are as fondly recalled as Whitney Houston.

Chrissie Hynde met UB40 soon after arriving from Akron, Ohio. Seven years later she was nicely surprised the band was still together. The Pretenders had a revolving door, even with Martin Chambers on drums most of the time.

There should be a Pretenders movie. End the actor's strike and recall when Chrissie Hynde collaborated on a version of I Got You Babe. What jobs would the band members have received if they had not come together and put in the work to follow through?

Probably nothing remarkable. Nothing that will inspire others to feel better when they hear a song that reminds them of a specific point in their lives. They may have had troubles and internecine squabbles splitting the group in two. That does not resonate like nearly thirty years of good music.