This is one of the finest damn songs ever written.

The first Pete Shelley song I remember hearing was his solo hit “Homosapien,” which was in heavy rotation when we first got MTV. A few months ago, I tried (and failed) to master the bass line of “Jerk” in my Merge Records Ensemble class at the Old Town School. I don’t usually think of Buzzcocks when I list my favorite bands, but then I remember how they’ve been a constant for me since adolescence and the songs that are still on my iPod because they are just so fucking good.

Rest in peace, Pete Shelley.