Music
The 11 best Paul Weller songs
Ranking the best of The Modfather ahead of Paul Weller's 2026 summer shows
Emerging from Woking in Surrey, Paul Weller burst onto the music scene in the late 70s with The Jam. Not content to be pigeonholed into just one style, The Modfather has dabbled in just about every style imaginable across the last 40 plus years, from the jazz and pop sounds of The Style Council to Britpop, psychedelia and alternative sounds of his solo work. His repertoire is incomparable, and with over 70 top 40 hits across his career, he’s left quite the imprint on the UK landscape.
For many, his work with The Jam would be enough and a fitting legacy in its own right. He continues, however, to sell out venues from small, intimate surroundings to massive arenas. His solo career has reintroduced him to new audiences, particularly with the smash hit album Stanley Road, and he has continued to impress the masses for another 30 years since then.
He’s never stood still. With 18 solo studio albums, four compilations, several EPs and numerous live and remix albums, Paul Weller hits the road in 2026 with a back catalogue few can rival. Here, then, is our pick of the finest from across his work with The Jam, Style Council and solo.
11. ‘You Do Something To Me’
(Stanley Road, 1995)
A departure from some of the more Britpop-tinged moments on Stanley Road, this is one of Weller’s finest love songs. It’s a brilliant showcase for the range of influences not just on this album but across his storied career. Despite negative press at the time, it’s become one of his most enduring solo tracks for a reason, showing a lighter side to Weller.
10. ‘You’re The Best Thing’
(Café Bleu, 1984)
One of the poppiest tracks on Café Bleu, it hasn’t lost any of its potency over 40 years later, showing Wellers’ vocal range and ability to blend a pop hook with the more pronounced jazz influences found across the rest of the album. It’s a high point in what is one of the most important and well-regarded albums across his career.
9. ‘Start!’
(Sound Affects, 1980)
A second No.1 single for The Jam, this has come to be one of their defining tracks. At just over two minutes, it’s a short-sharp slice of rock ‘n’ roll showcasing everything that made the group such a hit. Borrowing from The Beatles, it still packs a punch 45 years on. The song was even covered by Beastie Boys.
8. ‘Wild Wood’
(Wild Wood, 1993)
On his second solo album, Weller really announced his arrival as a solo artist following the end of The Style Council. The title track is a wonderfully mellow number, showing how effortlessly he can slip between loud riffs and lighter acoustic moods. There Is a lightness to it that offsets some of the heavier moments and it shines through its simplicity.
7. ‘Peacock Suit’
(Heavy Soul, 1997)
Fresh off the success of Stanley Road, this track, written in response to an article criticising mod clothing, has all the swagger and verve of The Jam. The scuzzy riffs and beat are fiery and full of angst, particularly in his vocals. Surprisingly, it’s the highest-charting solo single for Weller and still has plenty of bite nearly 30 years later.
6. ‘To Be Someone (Didn’t We Have a Nice Time)’
(All Mod Cons, 1978)
A real gem from The Jam’s earliest days, it is a brilliant showcase for Weller’s lyrical genius from the get-go. It’s a send-up of success and rightly a fan favourite. Weller’s guitar prowess is also on full display, and the band’s tightness as a whole, again cramming a lot into two and a half minutes, painting a vivid story.
5. ‘Going Underground’
(single, 1980)
Who would have thought a song satirising the political and social state of the UK would result in a No.1 single. From its crunching opening riffs to the anthemic chorus, there is so much that resonates with fans. It still feels relevant 45 years later and again encapsulates Weller’s brilliant work as an observational lyricist, making even the bleakest of themes into a chart sensation.
4. ‘The Changingman’
(Stanley Road, 1995)
One of The Modfather’s finest hours as a solo artist, coming nearly 15 years after The Jam’s breakup, it reinvigorated his career and added interest from the Britpop crowd. It feels almost like an older sibling to some of his Jam work, more mature but still full throttle. It remains a staple at live shows and one of his most recognisable solo singles.
3. ‘My Ever Changing Moods’
(Café Bleu, 1984)
One of The Style Council’s most recognisable tracks, it strikes a perfect balance between the out and out pop of something like ‘Shout To The Top’ with the mellow jazz feel of the rest of this record. Weller’s vocals don’t often come in for a lot of attention, but there is a real haunting beauty to them on this track. It really captures the variety of his songwriting and musicianship.
2. ‘Town Called Malice’
(The Gift, 1982)
Giving The Jam their only hit on US soil, this remains a staple at indie discos across the land and at wedding playlists. For good reason. The irresistible grooves, riffs on the sound of Motown and the most unlikely of source material (sleepy Woking); it all came together in the most colossal smash that is still hard to escape. A track that’s shaped wannabe rock ‘n’ roll stars UK wide.
1. ‘That’s Entertainment’
(Sound Affects, 1980)
At the age of 22. Paul Weller was already writing material deeper and richer than most songwriters make in an entire career. Weller claims he wrote the song in just 10 minutes, observing everything that was happening around him in London at the time. The wry, satirical lyrics are as relevant now as they were then, and it also showed a growing musical maturity to the young songwriter and paved the way for sounds he would explore for the next five decades, pivotal in his development as an artist.
