:For Nas song, see Where Are They Now (song)
"Where Are They Now" is a song recorded by British Oi! punk rock band Cock Sparrer in 1982, from the Shock Troops album.
The song lyrics comment on the previous six years of the punk subculture. The song portrays the early years of the punk movement in a negative light, bemoaning the lack of followthrough by the leaders. It also comments on the band members' own naivete, exhorting listeners to not make the same idealistic mistakes. Its lyrics mention several punk legends, especially in the first verse: :And I believed in Tony and his written words of anarchy :And I believed in Jimmy when he told us to unite
Julie and Tony are Julie Burchill and Tony Parsons, two early punk writers for NME magazine. Joe is Joe Strummer, lead singer of The Clash, and Jimmy is Jimmy Pursey, lead singer of Sham 69. Later, the lyrics "Rotten on the telly, showing what a few choice words can do" refer to the Sex Pistols' lead singer Johnny Rotten and the Grundy incident, in which Rotten and other Sex Pistols swore on live television, sending Britain into an uproar. After noting these figures and the inspiration they provided, it cautions on the danger of putting faith in role models: :Causing all the fuss :Don't you believe in us
However, it is pessimistic about the chances such a warning will be heeded: :Only faces ever change
