16 songs that influenced Paul Weller
Paul Weller‘s ability to never stay in the same place so long and to always move on to new ventures before things get stale is unparalleled.
Weller, of course, started off with The Jam, in which he injected all of his youthful angst and became one of the voices of a generation. When the band were at the height of their fame and at the peak of their powers, Weller then radically decided to change things up and move into the world of neo-soul with The Style Council.
His career has been the definition of diverse, The Modfather is a master at mixing things up as his career has progressed over the years. Never resorting to the safe option, his creative bravery is often reflected in his music taste. Weller respects artists who have followed a similar path to him and have always been the innovators, rather than the replicators, in the music scene. Weller’s music taste is vintage and pays homage to the true creators, a group of whom he looks up to so greatly. The icon of British music admires a collection of artists in the same way that the likes of Oasis, The Stone Roses, The Libertines and countless others looked up to him.
In 2003, Weller took part in the compilation series Under The Influence. The series saw him open up about his inspirations, as well as featuring the likes of Carl Barat, Paul Heaton, Ian Brown, Morrissey and Super Furry Animals. For the series, each artist picked out a selection of songs which influenced the artist they are.
Weller isn’t known for being a nostalgic person; famously, he is always eyeing up the next project and rarely looks back at his wild career in a reflective manner. The former leader of The Jam has always kept his ears to the ground to stay alert of the brightest new sounds, a factor which is why this list is so fascinating as Weller is forced to name the artists that shaped him. Unsurprisingly, the compilation features a track by The Kinks in the form of ‘Big Black Smoke’.
There are clear parallels between Ray Davies and Weller, such as the themes of realism that they both sing about, the way they approach music, as well as their knack for a gorgeous melody. Weller has taken these skills into everything he does. But perhaps the greatest lesson Davies taught Weller was to write about the world around him. Davies’ view of London during The Kinks’ heyday feels so crystalline that it still resonates today, and likely gave Weller something to connect with as he grew up in that very same city.
“When I think of pop music, I think of people like The Kinks,” Weller said to The Guardian in 2015. “People making very popular music, but are still pushing the boundaries,” he explained. “I don’t know how to describe it, really. Their tunes are very popular, but have an experimental side to them as well.”
He also told The Quietus in 2015: “What a writer, I can’t say how much influence [Ray Davies] has had on me. The artistry of condensing all those ideas into a little three-minute song is just fantastic. I’m always still knocked out by that.”
Marvin Gaye’s ‘Pretty Little Baby’ also features on the list, Gaye was an artist who was a looming influence on the second chapter of Weller’s career as he stepped into soul with The Style Council. This is the one track which means the most to Weller out of anything that Gaye produced, but it doesn’t feature on his favourite album by the soul legend. “What’s Going On is a symphonic concept album and Marvin Gaye the greatest singer of all time,” Weller professed to The Guardian in 2008. “His range and control over his voice is amazing. He raised the bar for me when I wanted to stretch out musically. Records this good take years to be properly appreciated.”
It’s hard to argue with his assessment; the work Marvin Gaye produced in a comparatively short time is not just wondrous for its impact at the time, but its reverberating influence that still rings around the cultural landscape to this day.
Another artist whom Weller paid tribute to was Little Richard, with the former Style Council singer starting the compilation euphorically with Richard’s ‘Slippin & Slidin’. The late American rock ‘n’ roller was a musician who was constantly playing in the house when Weller was growing up, and those precious memories have stuck with him forever.
Weller recalled to Uncut in 2014: “At least every Christmas everyone would have a few glasses of pop and Little Richard would be put on the record player and my mum and dad would be jiving round the living room. That’s their music, and it always will be.”
Weller also paid tribute to his jazz icon John Coltrane, picking ‘Olé’ as part of his selection. Coltrane was a huge influence on the singer, with Weller suggesting ‘Drifters’ is indebted to the work of jazz titan John Coltrane, whose work he’d known for years but had never been able to fully appreciate: “I had A Love Supreme and listened to it a few times over the course of maybe 20 years,” Weller told Mojo. “Then one day – not too long, really – it just hit me.”
The way that Weller has managed to weave through so many eclectic sounds and genres throughout his lengthy career becomes even clearer when looking at his myriad of influences. He was gifted with a top-class musical education by his parents, who raised him on the likes of The Kinks, Marvin Gaye, and Little Richard made the budding musician want to explore as many different sounds that he loves as possible, while always adding in that distinct Weller touch.
Check out the 16 songs that influenced Paul Weller, below.
The 16 Songs that influenced Paul Weller
- Little Richard – ‘Slippin & Slidin
- The Headhunters – God Made Me Funky’
- Richie Havens – ‘Handouts In The Rain’
- D’Angelo – ‘Devils Pie’
- Charles Mingus – ‘Passions of a Man’
- The Casuals – ‘Jesamine’
- The Winstons – ‘Color Him Father’
- John Holt – ‘Ali Baba’
- Funkdoobiest – ‘Doobie To The Head’
- Marvin Gaye – ‘Pretty Little Baby’
- The Blind Boys of Alabama – ‘Jesus Gonna Be Here’
- The Kinks – ‘Big Black Smoke’
- Five Stairsteps – ‘We Must Be In Love’
- The Wailers – ‘Small Axe’
- Big Youth – ‘Hit The Road Jack’
- John Coltrane – ‘Olé’
