Kinda got a song in my head but not the words, was about a kid at school who was great at everything I think? Possibly called Dave? Thought it was by the Stranglers but none of their titles seem to ring a bell. The singer kinda wanted to be him or something?

Any ideas?

Doubt it's this one though....http://youtu.be/0dn3qOnkFLA

sounds like David Watts by the Jam

Na, sure lines were something like 'I wish I could be...(name of kid)' etc

That's the one, cheers!

Ah, must say id never heard the jam version till last night mind.

Its probably one of The Jam's best singles, helped by the fact that Weller didn't write it!

<a%20href="http://www.45cat.com/imageview/1B1F3E5A63C004EA"><img%20src="http://images.45cat.com/the-kinks-david-watts-pye-2-s.jpg"></a>

bit harsh

Good double A side with Foxtons "A Bomb In Wardour Street". Never a fan of their Weller songs, too much preaching, not enough singing!

I wonder who won, when Watty from the Exploited egged on all the Oi! punks and skinheads to fight the mods down the road where the Jam were playing!! I think he wanted to boot Weller's head in as well ha!ha!

He deffo would have like!!!

or is that just an urban myth... things get a bit lost in the mists of time

B-side of "Autumn Almanac" for a short time, and lead track on "The Kinks" E.P. and the "Something Else" album.

I still think Down in the tube station at midnight, In the City, Strange town, Going Underground, Eton Rifles and Thats Entertainment are great songs.

But I hated Town called Malice, and everything that followed from Wellar.

I always liked Butterfly Collector....not sure who wrote it like but I hope it wasn't Weller....hate the kunt!!!!

I thinkl Watty should just kick his head in anyway

I liked The Jam and Paul Weller a lot. Went to see them at Newcastle City Hall the week that their tribute to Taxman by The Beatles went straight in at number 1. Got there early and there were about 100 kids waiting to get autographs. Weller's dad popped out of the stage door and asked how many people had tickets- most didn't.

About an hour later he invited everybody in for the sound check which turned out to be a mini-gig of seven or eight songs. The Jam then sat in the hall and did autographs and interviews for fanzines until everybody had whatever they wanted. They were easily the biggest band in Britain at that point but it hadn't turned their heads.

Weller also regularly wrote to a lad I knew who fancied himself as a ranting poet. He'd sent him a letter when he was a fifteen year old Jam fan and got a proper reply so he kept writing. Letters never got ignored. Weller could have given a lot of the big gobbed punk heroes that were around a lesson or two in meaning what you said.

Plenty of good songs as well, even some of The Style Council stuff is good and at least he tried to move on. To be fair to his critics though he has now been shit for ages, hasn't written a decent song for decades and has developed a frankly ludicrous haircut.