2 Tone Legacy - Embarrassment

Welcome to 2 Tone Legacy a special 10-part audio documentary series of the Ska Boom podcast that focuses on the stories behind the songs that contribute to the enduring legacy of 2 Tone music and its ongoing impact on popular culture. In each episode, I'll be joined by Paul Williams, author of "You're Wondering Now: The Specials from Conception to Reunion" and lead singer of UK 2-Tone band The Skapones. Paul is a noted 2 Tone expert and he'll be sharing his memories and insights on all the songs covered in this series.On their second album Absolutely released in 1980, Madness began to develop and refine what came to be know as the "Nutty Sound." While ska still a large part of their overall approach, they were also tapping all of the musical influences that they loved as music obsessed teens -- late 50s rock and roll, pub rock and pop sounds like Motown. On "Embarrassment" it all comes together in a pure piece of pop that is so listenable that you may not even know they are tackling the sensitive subject of one family's complicated response to their white teenage daughter being pregnant with the child of her Black boyfriend. And while The Specials urged listeners to ditch their racist friends, Madness took another approach that was much more a slice of everyday life but no less 2 Tone in its approach to uncovering the ways that racism impacted everyday life, particularly personal relationships.Ska Boom is hosted/produced by Marc Wasserman and co-produced/engineered by Rob George and appears on Pantheon Podcasts. Ska Boom is the audio companion to my book Ska Boom: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History available from DiWulf Publishing and Amazon.  This episode of the Ska Boom podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp.com. For more information visit https://betterhelp.com/skaboomPlease note: The music clips included in this podcast fall under the “Fair Use Doctrine” as defined by Section 107 of the Copyright Act. The law allows for use of music clips for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices