The Beat – ‘Two Swords’

No single movement in chart pop music since has politicised a generation as much as the ska revival of the late 70s and early 80s. Much like the Specials’ (more cynical) ‘Do The Dog’, ‘Two Swords’ is a clarion call for a youth unity at a time when swastikas and right-wing views were as much a pose or fashion statement thanks to the Pistols and Bowie’s naive flirting with Nazi emblems and imagery. The message of unity seems wishy-washy until you consider the politics of the era. Despite constant NF attacks on minorities, there was no real mainstream political right-wing threat. But that’s largely because at the time, racism was institutionalised and May 1979 saw the most draconian right-wing government of the 20th Century come to power (whose subterfuge we're still uncovering over 25 years later). Exactly 12 months later, The Beat released their first full-length ‘I Just Can't Stop It’, easily comparable to that of The Specials' self-titled debut. Including what must be one of the earliest uses of the c-bomb in a pop song with the lyric, "Even though that cunt's a Nazi", ‘Two Swords’ marries a frantic upbeat ska riff to a punk attitude. The central maxim of the song criticises the futility of political fighting, suggesting that the violence simply escalates opposing sides to even worse extremism. They had a point.
Ben Durutti