Originally released December 14, 1979,
'London Calling' was the third album recorded by thee best and one of the most successful
punk rock bands this planet has ever known,
England's
The Clash. This
'Today's Tune' features the title track
"London Calling". The song was released as a single, though only in the UK, one week earlier.
The album actually consisted of various types of music, and not just straight up punk. The band also delved into
pop,
reggae,
rockabilly, and
ska. Often, the different genres were fused together within the same piece. The original version of 'London Calling' included a total of
19 listed tracks, forming over 65 minutes of music, so there was plenty of room for variety.
Like the makeup of the album itself, the song "London Calling" was about various things as well. These guys had a lot on their minds, and they always liked to share their political and social views of what was going on in the world. War, potential catastrophes - both natural and man-made, and the band's financially related career concerns were all included in this much
covered tune. It was written by band members
Joe Strummer and
Mick Jones, who came up with the lyrics to most of The Clash's material. I bet they never imagined it would be as big as it has gotten. It seems the song appears, at least in the background, in countless television shows and movies.
