About The Song
“London Calling” is a song by the English punk rock band The Clash, released as a single on December 7, 1979, from their double album of the same name. The album was released in the United Kingdom on December 14, 1979, by CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 by Epic Records. The song was written by Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, with production handled by Guy Stevens and engineering by Bill Price. Recording took place at Wessex Sound Studios in London during August to September 1979, with additional sessions in November.
The single achieved notable chart success. In the UK Singles Chart, it peaked at No. 11 in January 1980 and spent a total of 15 non-consecutive weeks on the chart, including re-entries. Internationally, it reached No. 28 in Australia on the Kent Music Report, No. 16 in Ireland on the IRMA chart during 1979-1980 (and No. 18 in 1991), No. 23 in New Zealand on the Recorded Music NZ chart, and No. 30 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Reissues saw further placements: No. 46 in the UK in 1988, No. 30 in Sweden on Sverigetopplistan in 1991, and No. 64 in the UK in 1991. The album itself was a top ten hit in the UK, certified platinum in the US for over one million sales, and has sold more than five million copies worldwide.
The title “London Calling” references the BBC World Service’s station identification phrase used during World War II for broadcasts to occupied countries. Lyrics address contemporary events, including the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor meltdown in March 1979, referenced in the line about “a nuclear error.” Other lines highlight concerns over potential flooding of the River Thames, which prompted the construction of the Thames Barrier that became operational in 1982. The phrase “London is drowning and I live by the river” stems from a headline in the London Evening Standard about the North Sea potentially overwhelming London, as recalled by Mick Jones. Additional references include police brutality with mentions of the “truncheon thing,” alluding to Metropolitan Police batons.
The song’s creation reflected the band’s internal challenges in 1979, including high debt, lack of management, and disputes with CBS Records over releasing the album as a double rather than a single LP. Despite negotiations, it was sold at the price of a single album. The line “phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust” points to the end of the punk rock boom in England by 1977. Joe Strummer drew inspiration from multiple news reports of global crises, stating in a 1988 Melody Maker interview, “I read about 10 news reports in one day calling down all variety of plagues on us.” Mick Jones noted the flooding headline as a trigger, saying it exemplified how “everything was coming undone.”
Production trivia includes the song’s fade-out featuring Morse code spelling “SOS,” created by Mick Jones on a guitar pickup. The album cover depicts bassist Paul Simonon smashing his bass guitar during a September 21, 1979, performance at the Palladium in New York, photographed by Pennie Smith at exactly 10:50 pm, which broke Simonon’s watch. The music video was filmed on a rainy night in early December 1979 at Cadogan Pier next to Albert Bridge in Battersea Park, London, directed by Don Letts. Critic David Hepworth in Smash Hits commented on the band’s volume, noting it prevented hearing lyrics clearly. The song has appeared in films such as Billy Elliot (2000), Atomic Blonde (2017), and Die Another Day (2002), and was covered by artists including Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, with the latter performing it at the 2003 Grammys as a tribute to Strummer.
Video
Lyric
London calling to the faraway towns
Now war is declared and battle come down
London calling to the underworld
Come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls
London calling, now don’t look to us
Phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust
London calling, see we ain’t got no swing
‘Cept for the ring of that truncheon thingThe ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growin’ thin
Engines stop running, but I have no fear
‘Cause London is drowning, and I live by the riverLondon calling to the imitation zone
Forget it, brother, you can go it alone
London calling to the zombies of death
Quit holding out and draw another breath
London calling, and I don’t want to shout
But when we were talking I saw you nodding out
London calling, see we ain’t got no high
Except for that one with the yellowy eyesThe ice age is coming, the sun is zooming 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 riverThe ice age is coming, the sun is zooming 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 riverNow get this
London calling, yes, I was there, too
An’ you 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?I never felt so much a’ like a’like a’like