Work and family life

Food for Thought

"Food for Thought" is a song by British reggae band UB40, released as their debut single in February 1980 from their album Signing Off. Released as a double A-side with "King", it peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart.^[2]

Composition and recording[edit]

The inspiration for "Food for Thought" is said to have come from the genocide in Cambodia, then known as Kampuchea, undertaken by members of the ruling Communist Party, known as the Khmer Rouge, whose totalitarian government saw between 1.5 and 3 million people killed between 1975 and 1979.^[3][4] The song's lyrics were written by Robin Campbell with help from his father, folksinger Ian Campbell, and relate to "the hypocrisy of Christmas, the fact that there are starving people in Africa and here we are all sat around eating our Christmas dinner and praising the Lord".^[5][6] After having written the lyrics, Campbell brought them to the rest of the band who then together worked on the music.^[5] The song was originally called "The Christmas Song", before one of the roadies suggested "Food for Thought" would be a better title.^[7]
As the band could not afford to record in a studio, the whole of the Signing Off album was recorded at producer Bob Lamb's own home, a bedsit in Moseley which later became known as the "Home of the Hits".^[8] The album was recorded over three separate sessions, with this single being recorded in the first session between 21 and 24 December 1979.^[9]
Prior to recording the song, the band had a debate over the subtlety of the lyrics, with Campbell since regretting the ambiguity of them, saying "I find it incredible that people can’t understand it and that upsets me. I think the symbolism’s quite obvious". This is perhaps aggravated by the fact that the opening lyric "Ivory Madonna" has often been misheard as "I'm a prima donna" or "I believe in Donna", which Campbell has found amusing but also concerning over how the song's message has been lost on many people.^[3][10]