While the song was a brief chart-topper in 1978 (and again during the parliamentary elections of 2010 lol), the concept album that it comes from is really a forgotten gem, a very personal and extremely touching coming-of-age story of a working class youth in 1980s England.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_5tdMBGb5E It's best listened to all in one go as a "movie for the ears" type autobiographical narrative.