There have been many songs written and sung about London, so it was a difficult decision, but here are our top ten songs about this great city. What is your favorite song about London?
Streets of London – Ralph McTell (1974)
Some say this is the most recorded song about London. Talk about poverty, love and drugs, maybe not in that order.
Waterloo Sunset – The Kinks (1967)
Apparently Ray Davies from The Kinks used to pass Waterloo Station every day on his way to art school. Available from The EP Collection .
London Calling – The Clash (1979)
The Clash proved that punk rock could be played with more than three chords. It is a hymmic mix of nostalgia, paranoia and defiance of rock.
Down at the Subway Station at Midnight – The Jam (1978)
All Mod Cons’s second single, “Tube Station,” was a protest against Britain’s anti-immigrant phenomenon “Paki-bashing,” and was banned by the BBC.
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London – The Smiths (1987)
A song about moving to the ‘Big Smoke’. “Do you think you made the right decision this time?” Available on Louder Than Bombs and The World Won # t Listen .
Until the Crossing – Squeeze (1979)
This is one of the best known songs of the band. The junction you are referring to is Clapham Junction and is a representation of life in South London.
London is the place for me – Lord Kitchener (1948)
On June 21, 1948, the MV Empire Windrush docked at Tilbury, bringing with it 493 immigrants from the West Indies. Lord Kitchener, a Trinidadian singer, shared this hopeful outlook on London life. Unfortunately that was not true and in 1958 we had the Notting Hill riots.
London Dungeon – The Misfits (1979)
The Misfits started in 1977 in New Jersey and have always loved the devilish side of life. They came to London in 1979 hoping to join a tour with The Damned, but things didn’t work out. Two gang members got into a fight with skinheads while waiting to see The Jam , were arrested and spent two nights in jail in Brixton; This experience inspired this song.
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Electric Avenue – Eddy Grant (1982)
A song about a street in Brixton, South London, where there is a daily market. The song is about the 1981 Brixton riots.
Lambeth Walk – Noel Gay / Douglas Furber (1937)
Available on CD from Lambeth Walk – War Show . This was first heard in the 1937 musical Me and My Girl . The song takes its name from a local street called Lambeth Walk, once notable for its street market and working-class culture in Lambeth, an area of London. A dance craze started!
