Songfacts®:

• This song came in for particularly heavy criticism from Clash fans for its lyrical content, which contradicts one of The Clash's core messages of striving to make the most of life and not accepting a bottom-rung job. The song seems to suggest that doing menial jobs like washing cars is worthwhile because it's at least something to do ("He shines glass and he cleans chrome, he'll accept what he gets thrown, this man earns 'cause its understood, times are bad and he's makin' good").
  
  Journalist Marcus Gray noted in the Last Gang in Town biography that lyrics such as these sounded remarkably hypocritical. Of course, this being Joe Strummer, a man known for sardonic commentaries, it could be a wry and sarcastic take on it to make a point that actually washing cars isn't a worthwhile career move.
• Musically, "Movers and Shakers" is somewhat of a mess, with the main guitar riff being very similar to the main riff from Sham 69's "Hurry Up Harry (Come On)." Poorly-mixed gang vocal choruses and an out-of-place keyboard riff badly added into the mix.
• This was only ever performed live by The Clash on their acoustic Busking tour in 1985, in a more stripped-down arrangement which perhaps suits the song better than the lumpen studio mix.