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"Hitsville UK" is the 13th single released by The Clash, and the second off their fourth album Sandinista! It is a duet between lead guitarist Mick Jones and his one-time girlfriend Ellen Foley. Overall, it is notable for being one of the band's most overtly melodic songs, reminiscent of a danceable ballad with striking resemblances to, among other songs, Jackie Wilson's Higher and Higher, The Supremes' You Can't Hurry Love and a number of Motown hits from the early 1960s.
Its lyrics refer to the emerging indie scene in British music in the late 70s/early 80s, which is held in contrast to the "mutants, creeps and musclemen" of the major labels with their "expense accounts" and "lunch discounts", making "AOR" and using "chart-hyping" to sell their records. References are made to a number of UK independent labels (Small Wonder, Rough Trade, Fast Product and Factory). Notably, the Clash never signed to an indie label but spent their entire career on CBS Records.
The song's title is a nod to Motown Records, which used the moniker "Hitsville U.S.A." in its advertising and to refer to the label's first headquarters in Detroit.
The original release had "Radio One" as the B-side. A second issue released later in 1981 (catalog number 51013) replaced "Radio One" with "Police on My Back" as the B-side.
Like all other Clash singles, the song is also available in the 1991 compilation The Singles.
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