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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.
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83 comments
Ummm...what about Warren Zevon's "Werewolves Of London"!!!
Disappointed no place for "Mornington Crescent" by Belle and Sebastian
Disappointed no place for "Mornington Crescent" by Bell and Sebastian
Even though they're from Australia, the Waifs' "London Still" is one of my favourite London songs of all time!
Oh yes indeed. Though I agree with the comments by the previous posters to some extent, I have to declare that the obvious choice would be 'London Bridge' by Fergie. A nice looking lady, and judging by the way she often does wee-wee in her pants when on stage, she is probably quite dirty in bed. No, not that sort of dirty.
It has to be 'Endoplasmic reticulum' by The Housemartins. No band more perfectly embody the spirit of London than these chaps. Did I say London? I meant Hull.
'Birmingham Jail' by a fat bloke in some film I saw ages ago. Maybe it had Gene Wilder in it dressed as a chicken or something. Possibly Richard Prior too, on a rodeo donkey. The song perfectly encapsulates the spirit of London, except for the fact that it is about Birmingham. But you can't have it all. Come to think of it, the song is probably talking (singing) about Birmingham Alabama. In America. So it is probably spelt 'Gaol' too. And probably goes on about Fawcetts, trunks, and fanny-packs.
"Saturday Night Beneath the Plastic Palm Trees" was in my collection before coming to live in London in the 1980s. I think this captures a side of London that you only get to understand if you live here - what goes on in the deep dark suburbs, especially on lost weekend nights. I just googled the title to remind me of the lyrics and found that Parliament have already debated London anthems in 2004! Check out http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200304/cmhan srd/vo040421/debtext/40421-31.htm - Karen Buck MP reminds us that Time Out did something similar in 2004. "London Calling" got props then but Ralph McTell was conspicuous by its absence.
Has London's calling really been left off this list? That's mad, wherever you go in the world there are Brit/London obsessed clubs playing that as their anthem. Agree with below post about The Tacticians too, was a top song but very low key release so suppose the so called music experts haven't heard of it, infact, everytime I hear Lily Allen's LDN "sun is in the sky.." I can't help wondering if she based it on "London's alright".
London Calling surely! Voted by rolling stone mag as the greatest record of the 80s - surely thats a better song than any of the others...its pure London!
Despite their Woking routes, the Jam's fascination with London was apparent in all of their songs, and Strange Town sums up this place.
"I bought an A to Z guide book
Trying to find the clubs and YMCAs
When you ask in a strange town
They say don't know, don't care
And I've got to go, mate!!"
Guns of Brixton surely, plus anything by Madness. Suggs is Mr London surely? One Better Day indeed - they document London better than anyone since Ray Davies stopped.
"London's alright" by The Tacticians. One of the best singles of the last 12 months and by far the coolest song about in London in ages. Full of charm and wit !!!
Tom McRae - 'Draw Down the Stars'. London as the mistress you can't help returning to. It perfectly captures that melancholy, addictive beauty the city has. And it has some great lines - "in a city that kills by constriction / Throw your streets around me and squeeze", "This flourescent night will divide us / And dissolve to a flickering screen". I know it's an album track but it is just exquisite and HAS to appear in the top 50!
London by The smiths...do you think yuo've made the right decision this time?Yes yes..that sums it up.