‘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 of the same name. This apocalyptic, politically charged rant features the band's post-punk sound, electric guitar and vocals.
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.
‘London Calling’ was released as the only single from the album in the UK 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 U.S. charts, as ‘Train in Vain’ was released as a single and broke the band in the United States, reaching No. 23 on the pop charts. Over the years, ‘London Calling’ has become regarded by many critics as the band's finest song. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it number 15 in its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, the highest position for the band and for 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. In 2011, Paste ranked the song number two on their list of the 18 greatest songs by the Clash. In 2020, The Guardian ranked the song number five on their list of the 40 greatest songs by the Clash.
Label – CBS
Songwriters – Joe Strummer, Mick Jones
Producer – Guy Stevens
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]London calling to the faraway towns
Now war is declared, and battle come down
London calling to the underworld
Come outta the cupboard, ya boys and girls
London calling, now don't look to us
Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust
London calling, see we ain't got no swing
Except for the ring of that truncheon thing
[Chorus]
The ice age is coming, the sun's zoomin' in
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growin' thin
Engines stop running, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drownin', and I live by the river
[Verse 2]
(London calling) to the imitation zone
Forget it, brother, you can go it alone
London calling to the zombies of death
Quit holdin' out and draw another breath
London calling, and I don't wanna shout
But while we were talking, I saw you noddin' out
London calling, see we ain't got no Hyde
'Cept for that one with the yellowy eyes
[Chorus]
The ice age is coming, the sun's zoomin' in
Engines stop running, the wheat is growin' thin
A nuclear error, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning, and I, I live by the river
[Instrumental Interlude]
[Chorus]
The ice age is coming, the sun's zoomin' in
Engines stop running, the wheat is growin' thin
A nuclear error, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning, an' I, I live by the river
[Bridge]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Now get this
[Verse 3]
(London calling) Yes, I was there, too
And ya know what they said? Well, some of it was true
(London calling) At the top of the dial
And after all this, won't you give me a smile?
(London calling)
[Outro]
I never felt so much alike, alike, alike