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50 best London songs
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By Time Out editors
Posted: Mon Sep 25 2006 
34 The Who 31 A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square Judy Campbell [download]
Swoonsome London-based romance made famous by Vera Lynn. The song’s most memorable performance took place during the air raids of 1940
‘It was the beginning of the air raids, but we went out, because we wanted to go out. The Shepherds Bush Empire had such nice shows, and you could see people like Margot Fontayne dancing. Judy Campbell was a successful young starlet then. I suppose “A Nightingale Sang…” just hit the right note for the time. Oh, it was so divinely escapist: “There was magic abroad in the air/There were angels dining at the Ritz…” It was nothing to do with air-raids. It was a popular song. Well, Judy Campbell came on in a satin evening frock, looking glamorous – and when she got to the point where she sang, “a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square”, she held up her hand and sang, “Hark!” you know, for the nightingale. And then “Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!” the air raid siren wailed! So instead of the nightingale, we got the siren! And the theatre just fell about they laughed so much, and Judy Campbell just died laughing on stage. It was just a yelp of laughter from the audience, they quite forgot the air raid!.’ Sylvia Harris
Available on The Best Of Vera Lynn compilation (1999) Feature continuesAdvertisement
32 London Dungeon The Misfits
US punks’ ode to a night in London’s cells
‘During our early years we tried to do an English tour with The Damned. When we completed our first three shows we walked off the tour after not being paid. We went to London and after that I went to Canterbury with Sid Vicious’s mom Anne. Our singer Glenn Danzig and guitarist Bobby Steele went to see The Jam at the Rainbow. A bunch of skinheads started a fight with Glenn who turned to watch Bobby run down the block! To protect himself, Glenn pulled a piece of glass from the Rainbow’s broken window and got arrested. In Brixton jail he put the lyrics together for “London Dungeon”. We worked on the song to audition for The Clash’s second world tour. When our drummer Joey Image fled to the USA for drugs, we aborted that tour and left our clean-faced rotting corpses in your London Dungeon.’
Jerry Only, The Misfits
Available on ‘The Misfits’ (1979)
33 A13, Trunk Road To The Sea Billy Bragg [download]
Bobby Troupe’s iconic ‘(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66’ is transplanted to Essex
‘I was sick of hearing people sing songs about America. How did we know that Amarillo, New Mexico wasn’t as dreary as Dagenham? There was a punk perversity about it, but also a pride in singing about my manor. “Starts down in Wapping/ Girl there’s no stopping/By-pass Barking and straight through Dagenham down/ To Grays Thurrock/Romney and Basildon…” And the dual carriageway to Southend does have a mythic weight for boy racers that’s part of that rock ’n’ roll dream. If Springsteen could romanticise New Jersey, I didn’t see why I couldn’t do the same for estuarine Essex.’ Billy Bragg
Available on ‘Life’s A Riot With Spy Vs Spy’ album, bonus disc (1987)
34 I Can See For Miles The Who [download]
Pete Townshend’s psych-pop masterpiece
This song may namecheck the Taj Mahal and Eiffel Tower, but was allegedly inspired by a hazy night spent gazing across London from Highgate. The cover of the album it appears on - 'Meaty Beaty Big & Bouncy' - shows seminal mod hangout The Railway Hotel, now the site of four blocks of flats, each named after a band member.
See more album covers that picture London- Add your comment to this feature
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83 comments
I think "Leave the Capital" by the Fall should be in it. But I'm obsessed with the Fall
Hey what about "i like london in the rain" By Variety lab ?
(remix of blossom dearie)
What about " London Rain " by Heather Nova ?
Why are the prog-rockers always overlooked? How about "Mother Goose" by Jethro Tull or "The Battle of Epping Forest" by Geneis. One of my personal favourites is "Down to London" by Joe Jackson.
err, they didn't you plank. Its on there at Number 20!
Hey you lot leave Lily alone. She's done more records about London than anyone writing to this listings magazine interweb thingy, I bet. And I fancy her.
I really wrote to say, considering the proximity of the location to Time Out's very own office, I'm sorry they left out Donovan's sublime ditty entitled 'Sunny Goodge Street'. It's lovely with a capital L, like Lily.
the whole 'london calling' thing takes the piss a little... and the fact that there's no mention of 'guns of brixton' either?
and isn't born slippy by a guy from essex who's shouting 'going back to romford' by the end of the song?
'Towers of London' by XTC doesn''t seem to appear on the list, unless another one of their pseudonyms is Tommy Steele and 'Towers of London' has been horribly misspelt.
A top 50 wihout london calling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
God Save The Queen is about London? Er, OK...
I think where they put Londons Burning (No. 19) by the Clash they mean Londons Calling.
If not, then I don't know whats going on.
what about "It's a London Thing" by Scott Garcia?
Seems pretty obvious to me...
The Fratellis - Chelsea Dagger?
The Kaiser Chiefs - I Predict a Riot. The best video clip!
By not including London Calling, by "you should really know who", it discredits this list. There are always going to be songs missed out...but I'm feeling in an unforgiveable mood today!!
London Calling by the Clash?
Parklife by Blur?