London Town (Wings song)
"London Town" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Wings | ||||
from the album London Town | ||||
B-side | "I'm Carrying" | |||
Released | 26 August 1978 | |||
Recorded | 14 February 1977 | |||
Studio | Abbey Road Studios[1] | |||
Genre | Soft rock | |||
Length | 4:10 | |||
Label | Parlophone/EMI (UK) Capitol (US) | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Paul McCartney | |||
Wings singles chronology | ||||
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Alternate cover | ||||
"London Town" is a song by the British-American rock band Wings. The title and opening track of their 1978 album London Town, it was the third of three single releases from the album, reaching No. 39 in the US, No. 43 in Canada and No. 60 in the UK. It also reached No. 17 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart in the US.
Writing and recording
Paul McCartney and Denny Laine began writing "London Town" in Perth, Australia, in late 1975 during the Wings Over the World tour, but they completed it later in Scotland.[2][3] The recording features a lead vocal by Paul McCartney and backing vocals by Linda McCartney and Laine.[2] It was one of the first songs recorded for the London Town album, prior to the departures of Joe English and Jimmy McCulloch, who play drums and guitar, respectively, on the track.[2] Laine also plays guitar, Paul McCartney plays bass guitar and Linda McCartney plays keyboards.[2]
Lyrics and music
The lyrics of "London Town" describe "ordinary people" and everyday life in London.[4] According to Beatles biographer John Blaney, it "presents a romanticized view of London; part reportage and part fantasy."[2] Blaney elaborates that it combines "idealisation with acute observations of everyday street life."[2] Music professor Vincent Benitez compares the effect of "quixotic" presentation of the people of London with that of the McCartney penned Beatle song "Penny Lane."[3] Benitez notes a theme of loneliness throughout the lyrics, as the singer feels alienated from the Londoners he describes.[3]
"London Town" is a soft rock song in the key of E major.[3] The introduction to the song obscures the tonic by beginning phrases in different keys, but the key of E major is established at the end of the introduction and is then used to begin the first verse.[3] The fourth and final verse is also based on the key of E major but the middle two verses begin and end on the key of A major, which is the subdominant of E major.[3] Benitez notes that besides using the same key, verses 1 and 4 are also linked in that they describe the singer meeting colorful Londoners and they end with the phrase "Silver rain was falling down/Upon the dirty ground of London Town."[3] Besides sharing a key, verses 2 and 3 share a more pessimistic viewpoint—the singer's frustration at his inability meet ordinary people and the emptiness felt by an unemployed actor.[3] These two middle verses also end with the phrase "Well, I don't know."[3]
The two bridges and the outro are also in A major.[3] Benitez interprets the tension between the keys of E major and A major throughout the song as representing the "uncertainty felt by the protagonist, who is unsure about where to go in London."[3]
Critical reception
Chris Ingham praised "London Town" as one of the best tracks on the album, stating that it was "full of the most sensitive pop
McCartney biographer
Weekly charts
Chart (1978) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK [15] | 60 |
Canada [16] | 43 |
US Billboard Hot 100[17] | 39 |
US Easy Listening[18] | 17 |
References
- ^ ""London Town" Sessions #1 (February 7 to March 31, 1977)". The Paul McCartney Project.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-906002-02-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-313-34969-0.
- ISBN 0532-171918.
- ISBN 978-1-4053-8445-2.
- ^ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 26 August 1978. p. 104. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
- ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 26 August 1978. p. 18. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 26 August 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-4165-6210-8.
- Beaver County Times. p. B-14. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
- ^ McNulty, Henry (23 April 1978). "Schizoid 'London Town'". Hartford Courant. p. 6G. Retrieved 22 December 2018 – via newspapers.com.
- ISBN 978-0-306-81120-3.
- ISBN 0-517-54493-8.
- ^ Sexton, Paul (9 September 2021). "'London Town' Single: A Capital Idea From Paul McCartney And Wings". udiscovermusic.com. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
- ^ "Official Charts: Wings". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ "RPM 100 Singles". Library and Archives Canada. 28 October 1978. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ "WIngs singles". Billboard. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 157.