# Give me some songs about London **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 16, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009 "2003-01-16T17:48:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/21 "2003-01-16T20:04:48Z")
Argh! I was hoping to mention Coward’s song first! Ah well. There’s always **Baker Street** by Gerry Rafferty, I think (yes?). ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/22 "2003-01-16T20:06:56Z")
If you’re doing folk/children’s songs, there’s also “Oranges and lemons, ring the bells of St. Clement’s…” ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/23 "2003-01-16T20:08:01Z")
“London’s Burning”–The Clash “White Man in Hammersmith Palais”–The Clash I could go with some more Smiths and Morrissey but that might just be a little overkill. (Cemetery Gates, Sloane Square, Margaret on the Guillotine–about M. Thatcher, but still London-connected!) ---
**Author:** ![lauramarlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@lauramarlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lauramarlane)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/24 "2003-01-16T20:16:23Z")
If you do the Gershwin song (a favorite of mine, by the way), be sure to get the Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald version–very nice! ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/25 "2003-01-16T20:26:03Z")
My personal favourite: _There’s No Place Like London_ from **Sweeney Todd**. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/26 "2003-01-16T20:34:42Z")
Misfits - London Dungeon ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/27 "2003-01-16T20:38:13Z")
" England Swings Like Pendulum Do" by Roger Miller ,which mentions Westminster Abbey and Big Ben ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/28 "2003-01-16T20:48:08Z")
Beatles: “A Day in the Life” (mentions the House of Lords & the Royal Albert Hall). “The Ballad of John & Yoko” ends in London. Dire Straits: “Portobello Belle” & “Industrial Disease” (mentions Speaker’s Corner) _Mary Poppins_: “Feed the Birds” (mentions St. Paul’s Cathedral) [This site](http://www.wfmu.org/LCD/26/london.html) mentions quite a few others, including “Play With Fire” (The Rolling Stones), “Waterloo Sunset” (The Kinks), and “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea” (Elvis Costello) ---
**Author:** ![Hometownboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5e9695/32.png) [@Hometownboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hometownboy)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/29 "2003-01-16T23:26:35Z")
Dang! A fragment of lyric is sticking in my head, though Google turns up nothing. Vintages 60s female vocalist singing something like: Last plane to London Leaving on Runway Number Five (Nine?) Last plane to London And I’m missing him, my baby Flashback? Audio hallucination? Or something else. And it’s nothing like Last TRAIN to London: (done by both ELO and Air Supply) Last train to London, just heading out Last train to London, just leaving town But I really want tonight to last forever I really want to be with you Let the music play on down the line tonight. Ringing a bell with any Dopers? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/30 "2003-01-16T23:35:16Z")
Noonday Underground - London ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/31 "2003-01-16T23:46:35Z")
Arlo Guthrie’s **Please Mr. Customs Man** "Coming into London over the pole flyin’ on a big airliner’ number of people **It’s a Long Way to Tipperary** “…hello Leichester Square…” ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/32 "2003-01-17T00:10:42Z")
London Girls-- Tori Amos b-side ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/33 "2003-01-17T16:35:19Z")
The Waifs - London Still ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/34 "2003-01-17T16:37:38Z")
“London Still”, by Western Australian’s own The Waifs. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/35 "2003-01-17T16:39:22Z")
\ And I meant “Western Australi_a_’s own” too. ---
**Author:** ![Woeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Woeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Woeg)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/36 "2003-01-17T17:06:51Z")
“Leave it to the Dogs” – The Stranglers ---
**Author:** ![G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@G.B.H.Hornswoggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.B.H.Hornswoggler)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/37 "2003-01-17T17:55:36Z")
We’ve already seen the Pogues mentioned, but I think **Misty Morning, Albert Bridge** would be a better choice from them. ---
**Author:** ![Wartime\_Consigliori](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@Wartime\_Consigliori](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wartime_Consigliori)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/38 "2003-01-17T18:23:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by G.B.H. Hornswoggler \* > \*\*We’ve already seen the Pogues mentioned, but I think **Misty Morning, Albert Bridge** would be a better choice from them. \*\* Upon further review, I agree. I love both tunes, but Misty Morning is such a goddamned beautiful song. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/39 "2003-01-17T19:08:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > **Beatles: “A Day in the Life” (mentions the House of Lords & the Royal Albert Hall). “The Ballad of John & Yoko” ends in London. > Dire Straits: “Portobello Belle” & “Industrial Disease” (mentions Speaker’s Corner) > _Mary Poppins_: “Feed the Birds” (mentions St. Paul’s Cathedral)** Okay, speaking of Disney flicks: _Bedknobs and Broomsticks_ Potrobello Road (“Place where the riches of ages are stowed”) ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009/40 "2003-01-17T19:19:15Z")
I don’t know if this would qualify but the Byrds’ _Eight Miles High_ was written about the impressions (perhaps chemically enhanced) the group got when they flew to London (“Rain gray town/Known for its sound”). Also, the Stones’ _Street Fighting Man_ mentions “sleepy London town.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-some-songs-about-london/149009.md?page=3)