Start!

The lead single from Sound Affects came out on 15 August 1980, entered at number three and reached number one two weeks later, for one week. Weller wrote it, and the Jam produced it with Vic Coppersmith-Heaven. The B-side was Liza Radley. Polydor wanted Pretty Green to come first, and the decision went down to the wire, with sleeves for both possible singles waiting at the printers, before Weller prevailed.

It is built on the guitar and bass riffs of the Beatles' Taxman from Revolver. Foxton said the band had been listening to Revolver a lot, that the borrowing was not intentional, and that it was not an exact copy. He joked that otherwise Paul McCartney might have thought about suing. He added that it was the number one that knocked David Bowie off the top, and that success brought more pressure. The album version has trumpets in its final section.

Afterlife

The Beastie Boys covered it on their 1999 single Alive, and 808 State sampled it on their 1993 single 10 X 10.