No Class Explained

Motörhead – No Class
Cover:	No Class A.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Motörhead
Album:	Overkill
B-Side:	Like a Nightmare
Released:	15 June 1979 (UK)^[1]
Recorded:	December 1978January 1979 Roundhouse Studios Sound Development Studios
Genre:	Heavy metal
Length:	2:39
Label:	Bronze Records/EMI
Producer:	Jimmy Miller
Prev Title:	Overkill
Prev Year:	1979
Next Title:	Bomber
Next Year:	1979

"No Class" is a song by the British heavy metal band Motörhead. It was released in 1979 in 7" vinyl pressings. The song first appeared on the 1979 album Overkill, and became one of the "cornerstones" of the classic 1981 live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith.^[2] It is one of the band's "anthems".^[3]

Release

It was available in three different covers, with a picture of Lemmy, "Fast" Eddie Clarke or Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. The single also contains the B-side "Like a Nightmare", which can be found on the reissued versions of Overkill.^[4] The song was already a live track before it was recorded for Overkill.^[5]

Style and influences

Stylistically, the song is described as "get-down rock boogie".^[6] Critics have noted the similarities at the time between Motörhead's music and ZZ Top's, and the guitar riff in "No Class" is said to be "stolen" from ZZ Top's "Tush."^[7]

On Motörhead's 1999 live album Everything Louder than Everyone Else, before playing "No Class" Lemmy dedicated the song to long-time friend Wendy O. Williams, who had committed suicide the previous month.^[8]

Notable covers

• The Plasmatics covered the song in 1982, as part of the Stand by Your Man EP collaboration with Motörhead.^{[9] [10]}
• In 1990 the Argentine Thrash metal band Hermética recorded "No Class" for Intérpretes, a cover album; it is the only English track ever recorded by the band.
• In 2010, the sludge metal band Kingdom of Sorrow covered the song on their album Behind the Blackest Tears.^[11]
• In 2012, founding thrash metal band Megadeth covered the song on their Gigantour after Motörhead had to pull out of the last 4 shows. Lemmy had a combination of a viral upper respiratory infection and a voice strain.^[12]

Single track listing

1. "No Class" (Eddie Clarke, Ian Kilmister, Phil Taylor)
2. "Like a Nightmare" (Kilmister, Clarke, Taylor)

Personnel

• • • "Fast" Eddie Clarke – Guitars, vocals Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor – Drums Lemmy (Ian Kilmister) – Bass, lead vocals

Notes and References

1. Web site: Motorhead singles.
2. Book: Prato, Greg. Vladimir Bogdanov. Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine. All music guide: the definitive guide to popular music. https://books.google.com/books?id=xR7MdpuSlAEC&pg=PT247. 2001. Hal Leonard. 978-0-87930-627-4. 247. Overkill.
3. News: The Spin Interview: Lemmy. Diehl. Matt. April 2009. Spin. 68–70. 15 May 2011.
4. Burridge, Alan Illustrated Collector's Guide to Motörhead Published: 1995, Collector's Guide Publishing .
5. Book: Kilmister. Lemmy. Lemmy. Garza. Janiss. White Line Fever. 2004. Citadel. 978-0-8065-2590-7. 125.
6. Book: Taylor, Steve. A to X of Alternative Music. 2006. Continuum. 978-0-8264-8217-4. 157.
7. Book: Peter Buckley. The rough guide to rock. 2003. Rough Guides. 978-1-84353-105-0. 699.
8. Web site: Lemmy Describes Motörhead's Everything Louder Than Everyone Else. Bolton. R. Scott. 27 August 2002. Rough Edge. 15 May 2011.
9. Book: Cimarc, George. Punk diary: the ultimate trainspotter's guide to underground rock, 1970-1982. 2005. Hal Leonard. 978-0-87930-848-3. 650.
10. Book: Kilmister. Lemmy. Lemmy. Garza. Janiss. White Line Fever. 2004. Citadel. 978-0-8065-2590-7. 161.
11. Book: Sharpe-Young, Garry. New Wave of American Heavy Metal. 2005. Zonda. 978-0-9582684-0-0. 187.
12. Web site: Megadeth – No Class (Motörhead cover) – (2012 SxSW Austin) . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/5q5PLsHWb7o . 2021-12-21 . live. . 2012-03-06 . 2016-10-15.