Stereotype (The Specials song)

1980 single by The Specials

"Stereotype"

Cover of the single released in France

Single by The Specials
from the album  More Specials
A-side| "International Jet Set"
Released| 12 September 1980 (1980-09-12)
Genre|

* Ska
* 2 Tone

Length|

* 3:50
* 7:24 (extended album version)

Label|

* 2 Tone
* Chrysalis

Songwriter(s)| Jerry Dammers
Producer(s)|

* Jerry Dammers
* Dave Jordan

The Specials singles chronology
| "Rat Race" / "Rude Buoys Outa Jail"
(1980)  | "Stereotype" / "International Jet Set"
(1980)  | "Do Nothing" / "Maggie's Farm"
(1980)

|
|

"Stereotype" is a song by ska/2-Tone band The Specials, released in September 1980 by 2 Tone Records as the first single from More Specials. The single peaked at number 6 on the UK Singles Chart.[1]

## Release and reception[edit]

"Stereotype" was released as a double A-side single with "International Jet Set". Representing a change in style, which has since been described as a "post-ska" sound,[2] "Stereotype" details the so-called stereotypical life of a man, while noting that people who exactly fit such a generic description do not actually exist in real life. This is shown in the opening verse: "He's just a stereotype, he drinks his age in pints, he has girls every night, but he doesn't really exist".[3] The More Specials album features an extended dub version of the song, titled "Stereotypes/Stereotypes Pt. 2", with the second part being written by Neville Staple.[4]

The man described in the song likes to spend his nights drinking in pubs with his friends and stays out as late as possible, frequently driving home while intoxicated and having sex with one or more women. When he contracts a sexually transmitted disease, his doctor prescribes a course of medication and orders him not to drink for 17 weeks. Once cured, he goes on a drinking binge, gets into a fight, and winds up in a car chase with the police that ends with him crashing into a lamppost.

Reviewing for Record Mirror, Daniela Soave wrote that "Stereotype" "reminds me of a Dashiell Hammet [sic] film theme. Far more adventurous than usual. It has more depth and consequently will probably take more getting used to. It'll be interesting to see if it goes as high in the charts as its predecessors".[5]

## Track listing[edit]

7": 2 Tone / CHS TT 13

1. "Stereotype" – 3:50
2. "International Jet Set" – 4:12

## Charts[edit]

Chart (1980)  | Peak
position

|

Ireland (IRMA)[6] | 12
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] | 41
UK Singles (OCC)[1] | 6

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "Specials: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
2. ^ Reynolds, Simon (2005). Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 1978–1984. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0571215696.
3. ^ "The Specials - Stereotype Lyrics". SongMeanings. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
4. ^ "The Specials: 10 of the best". the Guardian. 11 March 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
5. ^ "Singles" (PDF). Record Mirror. 13 September 1980. p. 12. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
6. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Stereotype". Irish Singles Chart.
7. ^ "The Specials – Stereotype" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.

* v
* t
* e

The Specials

* Lynval Golding
* Horace Panter
* Tim Smart
* Drew Stansall
* Nikolaj Torp Larsen
* Steve Cradock
* Pablo Mandleson

* Terry Hall
* Jerry Dammers
* Silverton Hutchinson
* Tim Strickland
* Roddy Radiation
* Neville Staple
* John Bradbury
* Dick Cuthell
* Rico Rodriguez
* Rhoda Dakar
* John Shipley
* Satch Dickson
* Groco
* Anthony Wymshurst
* Stan Campbell
* Edgio Newton
* Nick Parker
* Gary McManus
* Jon Read
* Adam Birch
* Mark Adams
* Aitch Bembridge

Studio albums|

* The Specials
* More Specials
* In the Studio
* Today's Specials
* Guilty 'til Proved Innocent!
* Skinhead Girl
* Conquering Ruler
* Encore
* Protest Songs 1924–2012

Live albums|

* Blue Plate Specials Live
* Ghost Town Live

Compilation albums|

* The Singles Collection
* Dawning of a New Era
* Too Much Too Young: The Gold Collection
* Best of the Specials
* BBC Sessions
* Stereo-Typical: A's, B's and Rarities
* Archive
* Greatest Hits
* The Best of The Specials

Extended plays|

* Too Much Too Young

Singles|

* "Gangsters"
* "A Message to You Rudy"
* "Rat Race"
* "Stereotype"
* "Do Nothing"
* "Ghost Town"
* "The Boiler"
* "Free Nelson Mandela"

Related|

* Discography
* 2 Tone Records
* The Best of The Specials & Fun Boy Three
* Dance Craze
* The Very Best of The Specials and Fun Boy Three

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