"London Calling" Re-Release Celebration
| Published 10/01/04

Graphic by: Doni Neel

"Taking off his turban, they said, is this man a Jew?"
Track 9- "Clampdown"
It's no secret that the songwriters Joe Strummer and Mick Jones were very political in their song writing, and the song "Clampdown" is quite possibly the song with the most political leanings. In this song, The Clash gives us their take on problems in Israel and the Middle East. The Clash shows there are no boundaries in their lyrics.

"I'm all lost in the Supermarket, I can no longer shop happily."
Track 8- "Lost in the Supermarket"
I read once in a magazine that this song was written, because it was describing that The Clash were a fairly well known band, but Mick Jones was still living with his grandmother. I haven’t yet been able to find out if this is true, but until then this lyric's mysticism could have many meanings.

"Waiting in death row His game is called survivin'."
Track 10 - "The Guns of Brixton"
This song was not penned by either Mick Jones or Joe Strummer but rather the bass player Paul Simonon. This song shows more of their political side but is also great, because it shows that the whole band was made up of fantastic songwriters and that the songs were not just the brainwork of two people.

"Well some things you can't explain away, but the heartache's with me till this day."
Track 19 - "Train in Vain"
Most of The Clash’s songs tend to be more political, but they proved with this song that they could also write from their hearts as well. In the last song on "London Calling," The Clash ended their album with heartbreak instead of their usual political formula. Perhaps it could be a metaphor for life or perhaps it's just a damn good song with lyrics that seem to be taken more from a soul singer - rather than the pages of a political pamphlet.

"London Calling" was be re-released on Sept 21 on Epic records in a two disc set (a CD with a DVD). Make sure to purchase this album if you haven't already.