Lloyd Robinson The Worm (1969)
Mods, rockers, hippies—in the UK, the 1960s saw a range of subcultures emerge. While most are easy to wrap your mind around, especially in retrospect, one continues to cause confusion: skinheads.
Many people assume all skinheads are neo-Nazi pigs. While fascist and right-wing skinheads did exist (and probably still do 🖕), they were a minority within the original subculture. In the mid-1970s, far-right political groups like the National Front (NF) targeted disaffected white working-class youth, including some skinheads. Exploiting economic struggles and pushing anti-immigrant rhetoric, they recruited a segment of the subculture, leading to the formation of racist skinhead gangs. Though these factions were a minority, extensive media coverage established the stereotype that all skinheads were neo-Nazis.
However, the original skinhead movement, which emerged in the late 1960s in the UK, was multicultural and rooted in British working-class culture, Jamaican music and a spirit of rebellion.
The movement evolved from the mod subculture, which embraced sharp fashion and Black music like R’n’B and soul. Influenced by West Indian rude boy culture, working-class mods adopted shorter haircuts (more practical for industrial jobs), work boots and braces. Meanwhile, Jamaican immigrants introduced ska, rocksteady and reggae to the UK, genres that became central to early skinhead culture.
A prime example of this sound, known as skinhead reggae, is today’s song: “The Worm” by Jamaican singer Lloyd Robinson.
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