From their earliest days as a band, The Clash stood apart from their peers with their musicianship as well as their lyrics, the passionate, left-wing political idealism in the lyrics by frontman Joe Strummer and guitarist Mick Jones contrasting with the lyrical nihilism of the Sex Pistols and the musical minimalism of the Ramones. Their 1979 album 'London Calling' is considered by critics as one of the greatest albums in the history of rock music. Rolling Stone declared it the best album of the 80s.
The Clash's attitude and style, as much as their music, has influenced countless bands, both within and outside the sphere of punk rock. Often lauded as "the only band that matters," The Clash were canonized as rock saints even before they broke up. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the class of 2003. Their first five albums, ('The Clash', 'Give 'Em Enough Rope', 'London Calling', 'Sandinista!', and 'Combat Rock') to this day, continue to earn a great deal of interest from rock fans and artists alike.
Mick Jones went on to form Big Audio Dynamite after being fired from The Clash, and he more recently has produced albums by artists such as The Libertines and Babyshambles. In 2004, he formed Carbon/silicon with musician Tony James (of Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik fame). Exploring various genres such as alternative rock and electronic music, he continues to collaborate with other modern groups such as Gorillaz.
Joe Strummer went on to form and front Joe Strummer and the Latino Rockabilly War and then Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros. He also had a notable solo career that involved work in films and other endeavors, often earning critical acclaim. He died on December 22, 2002, the victim of an un-diagnosed congenital heart defect. Mourned by countless punk fans, his life has been subject to several tributes and was memorialized in the 2007 documentary 'Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten'.
Bass player Paul Simonon went on to form Havana 3 A.M., a group that released a self-titled album in 1991, yet he decided to quit music in the early 90s in favour of becoming an artist. In 2006, he returned to music as bass player in a musical project together with singer-songwriter Damon Albarn. The project is often referred to as The Good, The Bad & The Queen, the name of the groups first recorded album that came out in 2007. In terms of his paintings, his well-received work notably was in an exhibition at Thomas Williams Fine Art in London.
Drummer Topper Headon released a solo album, 1986's 'Waking Up', before leaving the music business to become a taxi driver and escape the heroin addiction that cost him his legacy in The Clash. Over the years, he's had sporadic involvement in various music-related endeavors, such as being a key part of the aforementioned 'The Future Is Unwritten' film. He's currently residing in the seaside town of Dover, England.
Members:
1976 Original line-up
Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
Keith Levene – lead guitar
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Terry Chimes – drums, percussion
1977
Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Terry Chimes – drums, percussion
1977-1982 Classic line-up
Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Topper Headon – drums, percussion
1982-1983
Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Terry Chimes – drums, percussion
1983
Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mick Jones – lead guitar, backing vocals
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Pete Howard – drums, percussion
1983-1986 Final line-up
Joe Strummer – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Nick Sheppard – lead guitar, backing vocals
Vince White – lead guitar
Paul Simonon – bass guitar, backing vocals
Pete Howard – drums, percussion
10. London Calling
The Clash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust
London calling, see we ain't got no swing
Except for the ring of the truncheon thing
The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin
Engines stop running, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning
I live by the river
London 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 while we were talking, I saw you nodding out
London calling, see we ain't got no high
Except for that one with the yellowy eye
The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in
Engines stop running, the wheat is growing thin
A nuclear era, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning
I, I live by the river
The ice age is coming, the sun's zooming in
Engines stop running, the wheat is growing thin
A nuclear era, but I have no fear
'Cause London is drowning
I, I live by the river
Now get this
London calling, yes, I was there, too
And 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?
(London calling)
I never felt so much alike, alike, alike, alike
The song "London Calling" by The Clash was released in 1979 and is widely considered to be one of the band's most iconic songs. The lyrics describe a sense of impending doom, with references to war, the "zombies of death," and the "ice age" coming. The song is a call to action for the marginalized and the downtrodden to come together and fight against the powers that be.
The first two lines of the song, "London calling to the faraway towns / Now war is declared and battle come down," are a direct reference to the BBC World Service's call sign, which was used during World War II to signify that important news was being broadcast. By using this call sign in the context of the song, The Clash are indicating that something significant is happening and that people need to pay attention.
The lyrics also reference the punk rock scene in London at the time, with lines like "phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust" and "London calling, see we ain't got no swing / Except for the ring of that truncheon thing." The Clash were known for their anti-establishment views and their rejection of mainstream pop culture, so these lines could be seen as a commentary on the commodification of punk by the music industry.
Line by Line Meaning
London calling to the faraway towns
London is reaching out to all the distant cities and towns, as a war has been announced and battle is imminent
Now war is declared and battle come down
The declaration of war has been made and the battle is now starting
London calling to the underworld
London is calling out to the criminal underworld, asking them to come out of hiding
Come out of the cupboard, you boys and girls
The criminals are being urged to come out of hiding and face the consequences of their actions
London calling, now don't look to us
London is telling people not to rely on them anymore, as the fake Beatlemania craze has ended
Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust
The fake craze for the Beatles has ended
London calling, see we ain't got no swing
London is admitting that they do not have any excitement or energy, except for the sound of their police batons
Except for the ring of that truncheon thing
The only excitement in London comes from the sound of police batons
The ice age is coming, the sun is zooming in
There are major environmental changes happening, as an ice age approaches and the sun gets closer to Earth
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growin' thin
A disaster is looming as temperatures rise and crop yields decline
Engines stop running, but I have no fear
Transportation is breaking down, but the person singing has no fear
'Cause London is drowning, and I, I live by the river
London is experiencing widespread flooding, but the person singing is not affected because they live by the river
London calling to the imitation zone
London is calling out to those who imitate and copy others
Forget it, brother, you can go it alone
The imitation zone is being told to forget about copying others and try to make it on their own
London calling to the zombies of death
London is calling out to those who feel dead inside and are just going through the motions of life
Quit holding out and draw another breath
The zombies of death are being urged to stop holding themselves back and take a deep breath to refresh themselves
London calling and I don't want to shout
London is being called out to again, but the person singing doesn't want to shout about it
But when we were talking I saw you nodding out
The person singing noticed that someone they were talking to was nodding off or not paying attention
London calling, see we ain't got no high
Again, London is admitting that they don't have much excitement or energy
Except for that one with the yellowy eye
The only exciting thing in London is a person with a yellowy eye, a possible reference to someone with a drug addiction
Now get this
The person singing is introducing a new idea or concept
London calling, yes, I was there, too
The person singing was also present during a significant event in London
And you know what they said? Well, some of it was true!
The person singing heard people talking about something that was partially true
London calling at the top of the dial
London is being called out to again, this time by a radio station broadcasting on the top end of the radio dial
And after all this, won't you give me a smile?
After all the chaos and destruction, the person singing is asking for a smile from the listener
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, Topper Headon
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@miracleofsound
One of the greatest songs of all time. Sounds like the end of the world
@giandomenicorodino1776
sono d'accordo
@mikeferguson5935
So gosh darn correct. One of my top ten best albums EVER. Side 3 is perfection.
@astraluna6is9
It did. It does. It will always.
@rajs4719
Think it was written because they were having to go back to London because of the threat of a war at the time of something like that. So you were pretty spot on haha
@thomasconrad7998
Holy shit miracle of sound comments on music videos!
@onlinefriend3889
I can't believe a city was named after this song, those people there must be huge Clash fans
@patdan774
Am a huge clash fsn from way back n biracial they r just top musicians 🥰
@bigboiac5592
Ikr they even made it a capital city as well!
@clivesnell
😂😂😂😂nice one!