If you are like me, you are all caught up in the Olympic hype: staying up late watching recap coverage, streaming Olympic coverage to your cell phone at your desk at work. To celebrate the first week of the Olympics this Tuesday we look at the top 10 songs about the host city, London.
10. Fergie “London Bridge”
OH SHIT! I promise the list will get better from here on out. Just a touch of irony to kick things off.
MP3: Fergie “London Bridge”
09. Wiley “Straight Outta London”
I have never been to London but if I ever make it there, there is no way I am leaving without seeing a grime show.
MP3: Wiley “Straight Outta London”
08. Misfits “London Dungeon”
My guess is all the “living corpses” are being stashed away during the Olympics weeks but that does not make the Misfits‘ “London Dungeon” any less awesome of a listen.
MP3: Misfits “London Dungeon”
07. The Jam “London Traffic”
Pre-Olympics, one of the biggest complaints of Londoners was the traffic. Officials created “Olympic lanes” on major roadway which made traffic a pain not to mention traffic in and out of Heathrow Airport. These concerns made The Jam‘s seminal track, “London Traffic” seem appropriate.
MP3: The Jam “London Traffic”
06. Lily Allen “LDN”
For many people, “LDN” was their introduction to the lovely Lily Allen. Although I am sure no one on the London’s olympic committee wants Lily Allen’s version of London to be what visitors experience, there is something endearing about her blunt assessment of
MP3: Lily Allen “LDN”
05. Blur “London Loves”
As far as British music went in the 90s there were three bands that really mattered: Oasis, Pulp, and Blur. Oasis had the big commercial success. Pulp had the big critical success. Blur was somewhere in between. “Song 2” and “Boys and Girls” were both commercially viable but neither of them held a candle to “Wonderwall.” Parklife was well reviewed but it was not revered like Different Class. For my buck, Blur is still the definitely 90s British band.
MP3: Blur “London Loves”
04. XTC “Towers of London”
If you are in London, it is hard to miss the towers of London. They are everywhere and they are tall. That is a double whammy. So much so that XTC wrote one of their most popular songs about the phenomenon.
MP3: XTC “Towers of London”
03. Chemical Brothers featuring Anna Lynne “Hold Tight London”
During the Olympics’ opening ceremonies, musical producers Orbital used The Chemical Brothers‘ collaboration with Q-Tip, “Galvanize” from their Push the Button album. From the same album comes “Hold Tight London,” a less commercialized but equally awesome track.
MP3: Chemical Brothers featuring Anna Lynne “Hold Tight London”
02. Warren Zevon “Werewolves of London”
I wish one of the Olympic team’s nickname was “Werewolves” or at least wolves so I could make the connection with Warren Zevon’s most popular single but there really is not much connection. It is just a damn good track with London in its title.
MP3: Warren Zevon “Werewolves of London”
01. The Clash “London Calling”
I thought it was an odd choice for NBC to choose to use “London Calling” for the Clash. The song was originally written as about concerns about where the world was heading. There were specifics as to where London was heading in regards to police brutality. Strummer sings “We ain’t got no swing / Except for the ring of that truncheon thing,” a reference to the Metropolitan Police at the time having a truncheon as standard issued equipment. Despite the less than positive look at London the track has become a major focal point of the Olympics’ soundtrack. No doubt a credit to Strummer’s incredible pop hook writing displayed on the track.
MP3: The Clash “London Calling”
Yaaaay, The Misfits! Well done.