"One in Ten" is a song by British reggae band UB40, released in July 1981 as a single from their second album Present Arms. It became the band's fourth top-ten hit, peaking at number seven on the UK Singles Chart.[1]
Background and release
The song title refers to the approximately 10% of the local workforce claiming unemployment benefit in the band's home region of West Midlands in the summer of 1981 when the song was recorded and released.[2] It is a protest against the then-Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher at a time when there was rising unemployment and inequality in the UK.[3] The song also highlights the inequalities in the UK and around the world, referencing poverty, hunger, suicide, drug addiction and homelessness.
"One in Ten" was released in the UK as a double A-side single with "Present Arms in Dub", a dub version of the Present Arms title track which was included on the dub remix album Present Arms in Dub. Elsewhere, in Europe, "One in Ten" was released as the sole A-side with a different B-side, "Sardonicus", taken from Present Arms. In Australia, "Wildcat", also from the album, was released as the B-side.[4]
In November 1992, British electronic group 808 State released a remix of "One in Ten" as a single from their fourth album Gorgeous. It became the group's sixth and penultimate top-twenty hit in the UK, peaking at number 17.[9]
Background and release
808 State's remix has been described as one of the first popular mash-ups, in this case taking the original UB40 recording and superimposing elements, mainly the vocals and saxophone, onto a track recorded by 808 State.[10][11] Mash-ups had been growing in popularity since the beginning of the 1990s with Beats International's "Dub Be Good to Me" in 1990 and "You Got the Love" in 1991 by The Source featuring Candi Staton, both of which had huge chart success. The remix of "One in Ten" came about after record label ZTT Records wanted the group to record a song with vocals on so it would gain more airplay.[10]
The single was originally set for release in the UK and Europe in October 1992 with the ZTT Records catalogue number ZANG 35; however, it was withdrawn before release due to incorrect copyright crediting. It received its release with the catalogue number ZANG 39 at the end of November.[12] "One in Ten" also saw a release in the US on Tommy Boy Records.[12]
^Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 316. ISBN0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid 1983 and 19 June 1988.
^Lazell, Barry (1997). "UB40". Indie Hits 1980–1989: The Complete U.K. Independent Charts (Singles & Albums). Cherry Red Books. ISBN0-95172-069-4. Archived from the original on 20 April 2004. Retrieved 19 December 2020.
