London Calling (song)
"London Calling" is a song by the British punk rock band the Clash. It was released as a single from the band's 1979 double album London Calling. This apocalyptic, politically charged rant features the band's post-punk sound, electric guitar and vocals.
Writing and recording
The song was written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. The title alludes to the BBC World Service's station identification: "This is London calling ...", which was used during World War II, often in broadcasts to occupied countries.The lyrics reflect the concern felt by Strummer about world events with the reference to "a nuclear error" - the incident at Three Mile Island, which occurred earlier in 1979. Joe Strummer has said: "We felt that we were struggling about to slip down a slope or something, grasping with our fingernails. And there was no one there to help us."
The line "London is drowning / And I live by the river" comes from concerns that if the River Thames flooded, most of central London would drown, something that led to the construction of the Thames Barrier. Strummer's concern for police brutality is evident through the lines "We ain't got no swing / Except for the ring of that truncheon thing" as the Metropolitan Police at the time had a truncheon as standard issued equipment. Social criticism also features through references to the effects of casual drug taking: "We ain't got no high / Except for that one with the yellowy eyes".
The lyrics also reflect desperation of the band's situation in 1979 struggling with high debt, without management and arguing with their record label over whether the London Calling album should be a single- or double-album. The lines referring to "Now don't look to us / Phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust" reflects the concerns of the band over its situation after the punk rock boom in England had ended in 1977.
The song fades out with a Morse code signal spelling S-O-S, reiterating the earlier urgent sense of emergency, and further alluding to drowning in the river.
"London Calling" was recorded at Wessex Studios located in a former church hall in Highbury in North London. This studio had already proved to be a popular location with the Sex Pistols, the Pretenders and the Tom Robinson band. The single was produced by Guy Stevens and engineered by Bill Price.
Personnel
"London Calling"
- Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Mick Jones – backing vocals, lead guitars
- Paul Simonon – backing vocals, bass guitar
- Topper Headon – drums
"Armagideon Time"
- Joe Strummer – lead vocals, piano
- Mick Jones – guitars, harmonica, sound effects
- Paul Simonon – bass guitar
- Topper Headon – drums
- Mickey Gallagher – organ
Artwork
Reissues
The single has several issues, all with different covers. Four are from 1979. In 1988, a special limited edition boxed set was released, containing three tracks, "London Calling" on side one, "Brand New Cadillac" and "Rudie Can't Fail" on side two, a poster and two badges. Two were released by CBS Records in 1991 both with "Brand New Cadillac" on the B-side, the second one has an additional track on side two "Return to Brixton ".In 2012, on the occasion of the International Record Store Day, a limited edition 7" was released, with a new mix of the song by Mick Jones, and an instrumental version on the B-side.
| Year | B-side | Format | Label | Country | Note |
| 1979 | "Armagideon Time" | 45 rpm 7" vinyl | CBS S CBS 8087 | UK | Released on 7 December 1979; No. 2 for 1979, No. 37 overall. |
| 1979 |
| 45 rpm 12" vinyl | CBS 128087 | UK | A-side: |
| 1979 | "Armagideon Time" | 45 rpm 7" vinyl | CBS S CBS 8087 | UK | Alternate cover. |
| 1979 | "Armagideon Time" | 45 rpm 7" vinyl | CBS 8087 | NL | — |
| 1980 | "London Calling" | 45 rpm 7" vinyl | Epic 50851 | USA | A-side: "Train in Vain ". Released on 12 February 1980. |
| 1988 | 45 rpm 7" vinyl | CBS CLASH 2 | UK | Boxed Set; Limited Edition | |
| 1991 | 45 rpm 12" vinyl | Columbia 31-656946-22 | UK | — | |
| 1991 | "Brand New Cadillac" | 45 rpm 7" vinyl | Columbia 656946 | UK | — |
| 2012 | "London Calling " | 45 rpm 7" vinyl | Columbia 88691959247 | USA | New 2012 mix by Mick Jones and Bill Price. Released 2012/04/21 |
Chart success and critical reception
"London Calling" was released as the only single in the UK from the album and reached No. 11 in the charts in January 1980, becoming at once the band's highest charting single until "Should I Stay or Should I Go" hit No. 1 ten years later. The song did not make the US charts, as "Train in Vain" was released as a single and broke the band in the US, reaching No. 23 on the pop charts.BBC Radio One DJ Annie Nightingale made a bet with Strummer that London Calling would make the UK Top 10 without them appearing on Top of the Pops, the stake being a Cadillac. When the record peaked at number 11, Nightingale was saved by a listener who donated a Cadillac. The Cadillac was subsequently auctioned to raise funds for the recession hit steel town of Corby.
"London Calling" was the first Clash song to chart elsewhere in the world, reaching the top 40 in Australia. The success of the single and album was greatly helped by the music video shot by Don Letts showing the band playing the song on a boat, next to Albert Bridge on the south side of the Thames, Battersea Park in a cold and rainy night at the beginning of December 1979.
The single fell off the charts after 10 weeks, but later re-entered the chart twice, spending a total of fifteen non-consecutive weeks on the UK Singles Chart.
Over the years, "London Calling" has become regarded by many critics as the band's finest. In 2004, Rolling Stone rated the song as No. 15 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, the highest position of the band and of any punk rock song. In 1989, the magazine also rated the album of the same name as the best album of the 1980s—although it was released in late 1979 in Britain, it came out in January 1980 in the USA.
"London Calling" was also ranked No. 42 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the '80s". It was erroneously listed as being released in 1982, when it was fact released in 1979. It is one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.
Notable appearances and covers
The Clash turned down a request from British Telecom to use the song for an advertising campaign in the early 1990s. In 2002, the band incurred criticism when they sold the rights to Jaguar for a car advertisement. In an interview posted on his website, Strummer explained the reasons for the deal. "Yeah. I agreed to that. We get hundreds of requests for that and turn 'em all down. But I just thought Jaguar ... yeah. If you're in a group and you make it together, then everybody deserves something. Especially twenty-odd years after the fact."The song was used for a 2012 British Airways advertisement, picturing a jet aeroplane taxiing through the streets of London passing numerous landmarks and parking outside the Olympic Stadium.
Joe Strummer later became a DJ for the BBC World Service, on a programme called "Joe Strummer's London Calling".
The song has also been adopted by English football club Arsenal as an opening anthem upon game days at their Emirates Stadium. The song is also played by fellow English club Fulham upon game days at the half-time interval at Craven Cottage.