Some additional thoughts/corrections: 1) I got a new mic and am still figure out how to use it, apologies for any stray plosives that managed to slip through. My old pop filter didn't fit with it so I have to get a new one. Should hopefully be here soon, but in the meantime I did my best with a highpass filter. 2) To emphasize the point about Topper Headon's precise playing, in order to line up the video and audio, I have to chop and stretch each individual beat of notation to line up with the appropriate hit. Typically there's some minor differences in length due to the natural fluctuations of a human performance, but for the opening drum groove, all 8 sections are within a single frame of each other. (And that difference is largely because the tempo of the song doesn't cleanly divide into the FPS of my footage.) The dude could keep time. 3) In retrospect, I wish I'd mentioned that Simonon's intro part leaps to C but slides to E, again differentiating the two approaches. I alluded to it, but could've been more explicit. 4) An interesting pattern to trace through this is the increasing agreement between Jones and Strummer through the sections. In a four-bar stretch of the intro, they agree on two chords. (well, one, really, but I'm counting the Emi-G thing as an agreement) In the same four bars of verse, they agree on three, and in four bars of the chorus, they agree on all four. I didn't have any way to tie that observation to anything meaningful so I left it out of the script, but still, it's neat. 5) On the "live by the river" line, one could argue that it's clear he means the positive interpretation because he prefaces it with "I have no fear", but I think it's a mistake to take that line at face value. 6) "Uncomfortable" was maybe the wrong word to describe the guitar solo. It's a good solo. It just sounds a little uncanny in a way that's hard to put your finger on until someone points out that it's backwards.
I always took the "I have no fear, I live by the river" to be a sneering acceptance of being the first to go. That could be because I read it in a similar sense to living near Faslane. You can't escape the devastation so you accept it in a dark humorous way.
...I actually thought Topper Headon's playing at the top of the video *was* a computer for a moment there - I thought you programmed it. That's incredible.
Maybe I'm weird, but that F in the F|Em chord is quite strong to me. and I barely hear the B. So I hear it as either Fmaj7/E or Fmaj9/E. It definitely does not sound static. I literally just played it on my keyboard, and instinctively went for an F chord.
I always thought the reference to living by the river was a reference to higher affluence. You know, housing prices along the Thames are going to be higher, that kind of thing. He has no fear because, as a poor person, he has less to lose.
In a way, actually not surprising. In my experience, though i will admit that writing books and music are different, i noticed a writers block is more the effect of not knowing how and what to do with your creative ideas which leaves them frequently bubbling up briefly before vanishing again. I wrote my personal davorite bits of my books while struggling with writers block, always the ends of them and what i manage to write does need additional refining, but the ideas i get in those petiods are the ones i normally wouldn't get and thus are harder to work with in those moment while being the only statisfying ideas to put to paper.
I always felt like the backward guitar solo symbolized the flood finally washing over and inundating the entire landscape. The original final line of the song was "I never felt so much alike singing the blues" with a clear SOS morse code ringing out. Blues music often uses flood symbology because the geographic region the musicians came from was very flood prone, it was an anxiety that they really felt. Also, I never felt the line "London is drowning and I live by the river" as conveying any hopefulness that he'd be saved. No, it's almost a sense of resignation. He has no fear because he knows he's trapped and he's resigned to his fate, he is going to drown right there with them.
I always took the same "river" reference. He's not afraid of the coming apocalypse - he lives by the river and will be one of the first to die. He won't have to struggle through the resulting chaos. The album delivers 19 gems. Recognized as great, but still under-rated. My favorite rock album of all time.
Agreed. I think the "hopeful" feeling is more of the freedom that the poorest people feel when they realize they've nothing left to lose. It's not that his cataclysmic problems are yours not his, but because he's ready for the gift the gods are about to bestow, and he knows that you're not. It's an, "I'm fucked. But freed at the same time, while you'll still cling to what you used to own."
A lot of good comments here (always enjoy speaking with fellow Clash fans). This may be the best of them. The point about the floods and their relationship to the blues is especially good. After all, the home of the blues is the Mississippi Delta, which is named that way for good reason. Solid work.
i saw the clash play this live on any number of occasions back in the day. Mick always played E and Am chord shapes with his ring finger below his pinkie. in the song he slid his pinkie on the 9th fret of the D string (the B) up one fret to the 10th fret ie a C note. I saw him do this from 15 feet away and this is how he did it live anyway. If you look at photographs of Mick playing you will find any number of pics of Mick playing E and Am chord shapes like this
I don’t know how relevant this would have been in the 70s, but as someone who has recently lived in London, “living by the river” takes on a very specific meaning in London. The Thames divides London into two halves with distinct personalities and stereotypes. Yes, London is greatly diverse in the cultures of its boroughs, but being north or south of the river means something here. To “live by the river” is to toe that line, but also, at least in the modern day, it implies that you can afford to live around the touristy bits on the river. Heck, parliament is right on the Thames! Is it a statement about the government not caring about the issues because they know they’ll “get out alright”? Great video as always though: wanted to pop in with added British context!
It's also simply impossible to live in London and not love the Thames, even if you're not in one of the parts closest to it. The Old Man is part of life here. Living in London /is/ living by the River.
Not so much a north/south thing (Mick was from Streatham, I think, but they mainly squatted around West London). I believe Joe & Gaby were living in Edith Grove, by (aptly-named) World's End, when he wrote the song - which, let's face it, is less than a stone's throw from the Thames.
What a stunning breakdown. The Clash is an all time favorite band (I’m wearing their shirt now!!) and I’ve been a casual musician and producer for over twenty years…and it never once occurred to me how bizarre and intricate this song is. I would have just guessed they were playing a minor chord followed by a major chord with another note thrown in (7th or 9th) and not thought much more of it. All these intricacies are fascinating and make an all time great song even greater!!
What I find interesting, and you omitted, that the opening bass line has this alternating quality of victory and defeat with the High C trill being evocative of Flight of the Valkyries in a victorious sense and the fall to the Low C in the alternate trill gives this victory but at what cost brooding that when coupled with the militant drums and marching guitars give this somber almost dirge like quality to a heavily military beat inspired opening to reinforce the tone and theme of the track. Truly brilliant on all levels.
I can't say enough about this record. The Clash were themselves. So punk even the parameters of punk didn't apply to them. And this record is a legitimate masterpiece. Thank you for this video. Your expertise is evident, and I appreciate being able to learn from you.
I remember when this came out. The following year, as part of the Royal College of Music's annual awards, they named it in a special category as a piece without any musical integrity. Effectively saying it did not constitute music. As a thirteen year old mad Clash fan, I couldn't have been prouder. Excellent analysis!
kudos for decoding that intriguing guitar situation there, and thank you so much for doing this. As a teenager I always found it equally obvious and mind boggling that this song sounded SO MUCH like all those things you mention: the endtimes, revolution, meltdown, call to action, angsty boredom... Twenty years on and Im trying to *make* songs like that. My guitarist sounds nothing like Jones but is also a massive Clash fan. I think their biggest influence on us is the weird chord juxtapostitions. Turns out i was right about the superimposed chords, which vindicates 15-yo me! much love, an ageing punk.
I just found this channel, and I have to say that this video absolutely blew me away! I am 62yrs old, so the late 60s, 70s, and 80s represented an incredibly impactful & influential period in my life...and, music had a major role to play in my intellectual, philosophical & artistic growth, as well as increased socio-political awareness. (...also, I do love a lot of music from the early/mid 90s & the 'Garage scene' after that..) Your analysis of "London Calling" added even greater appreciation for a song that I have long worshipped, and I can't thank you enough for that. Please continue your deep dives songs into the 'New Wave' era & the 80s, as there was soooo much truly important & interesting music, meaningful messages, technical evolution, and - yes - wit, humour & fun! Some of the songs that came out during the 'New Wave' era & the 80s still remain on my list of all-time favourites, even 40+ years later...and for good reason. I guess I'll be spending much of this week catching up on your previous vids! 👍😎👍
1:21 It makes the fact they tried to replace Topper Headon with a drum machine all the more hilarious and sad. Proof that you can't replace every musician with a machine.
They did that? Wow.😕 The funny thing is, Topper was the best musician in the band and not just on drums, but all of the instruments. He was trained as a jazz musician, and could play a lot of different genres too. I seem to remember he had an out of control addiction issue though? I may not remember that part correctly.
They tried to replace a Headon with a drum machine? Cut the crap and give me an answer WHY? The manager that did that was out of control! .....I'll see myself out.
This song has been my ringtone for as long as there have been ringtones (and still gets me pumped, lo, these many decades since I bought the album). I really enjoyed your breakdown of it! Thanks!
I like your emphasis on groove and drumparts and the recent videos. It realy shows how much Pop and Rock are tied to percussion, while we tend to look on harmony and melody
4:31 Chapeau @12tone with your nice easter egg reference to The Prisoner. I've been driving my friends and colleagues mad for years quoting the start of that show!
drum breakdown! way cool! pretty simple drumming, really, but supporting the song and making it move is what it's all about. thanks for that focus, it helps people hear it all better. cheers
Thanks so much, kid, for a fantastic and very possibly the best breakdown of a song i really love. People who disparage punk just haven't bothered to find the tremendous talent in the genre.
Fantastic analysis of a true classic! To me, the backward solo always made me think of something that's simultaneously moving relentlessly forward and right on the edge of falling into chaos. It feels urgent, otherworldly and frightening. Thanks for adding to my appreciation of a genius album I've enjoyed for decades!
Oh my god simultaneously moving relentlessly forward and right on the edge of falling into chaos is the PERFECT way to describe humanity right now and this song shows it so freaking perfectly
I know you covered a lot of these... Being a kid when this come out, some lines had an extra resonance if you lived in that time, even as a kid! .. "see we ain't got no swing, Except for the ring of the truncheon thing" it was an era when there was lots of riots in the news and allegations of police violence and escalating the situation. (especially the S.P.G. special patrol group). It would build up to an absolute explosion about 81 ish and also inspire the song Ghost Town and Electric Avenue. "The ice age is coming," at the time the train of scientific thought was we were about to have global cooling and not global warming. If you had family interested in environmental issues, (like your parents were activist hippies) you knew about it. "'Cause London is drowning" flooding along the river front was a problem, the Thames barrier was under construction to deal with this and truly in the news. "I live by the river" this was before regeneration of the river front, it was a decayed area full of disused warehouses from an earlier time and working class housing (often poorly maintained rental housing). It was also a culturally diverse and buzzing area with many bands and actors coming from those communities. "A nuclear era, but I have no fear" the 3 mile island reactor had an accident that had blanket news coverage even here in the UK.
A great song, and a great analysis. I was regularly thinking about other interpretations of the parts, and I think that's what makes a video like this so good - it makes us think too. Probably think about a song we know very well in a much more intense manner.
Fantastic video! This vibrates with an intensity I never heard repeated. The ambiguous harmonic elements give it an unresolved feeling perfect for the dislocation it describes while the hooks give it a (bleak) optimism.
I love this channel and learning all these things. I’m not a musician, or in a band or even studied music theory. But your break down of songs, with you cartoons is just so easy to follow and understand (right up until it try to explain a concept to someone else!)
One of my favorite songs of all time, and one of the best songs The Clash ever wrote. Thanks for breaking it down, and thanks for paying attention to all parts. I miss Joe Strummer.
Never been a fan of early punk, but this track is unmistakable and pretty well known nearly fifty years later. The musical structure of London Calling is - in a word - weird. But, you did a really good job breaking it apart while keeping your description non-confusing. Nice job!
London was the centre of the punk scene which had collapsed into disorder the previous year, and I think there’s a measure of defiance about that in the lyrics. Also before the Thames Barrier was built, London drowning was a distinct possibility.
Nice touch on the guitar solo analysis. The simple guitar chord voicings of F and Cm7 pit B-flat against A and E-flat against C building tension pulling towards the fourth and back to Em/C. Classic punk rock move.
Awesome! I just started exploring punk music deep to write some of myself. Just finished your video on punk riffs, and this one popped! Never thought how complex and wide punk genre is 😶🌫
@Godjan Overwhelmed - Yup! 😵💫 His videos are dense. Sometimes I need a break in the middle. 😶🌫️ I am in awe of how he uses drawings to illustrate his analysis. I am in awe of creativity, period.
Awesome breakdown of The Clash's best song. I really dig seeing a reference to The Prisoner and Tigger while learning music theory. A super enjoyable learning experience.
Great vid! If you do any more punk or punk adjacent music I'd love to see analysis of Minutemen, any of "I Felt Like a Gringo," "The Glory of Man," or "Corona." Also Thrice's "Image of the Invisible," "For Miles" or "Beggars." Finally, Streetlight Manifesto's "If Only For Memories," The Hands That Thieve" or "Down, Down, Down to Mephisto's Cafe." Thanks for the videos. I've learned so much about music and am beginning to be able to understand/read sheet music, which is really wild!
I would definitely describe this as one of the best songs ever written and recorded. In my opinion, London Calling is the greatest album ever made, and The Clash the greatest band. Their influence is still being felt today by countless artists the world over. They made it clear to me that I could make music, and that I could participate on my own terms - they totally changed my life and I never looked back. Viva Joe Strummer!!
Out-fucking-standing! You only missed that Topper kept the crowd on the pogo, I was there. This was important. Punk in it's essence, was angsty dance music. This can also be a sad poem about the end of thoughtful angst and energy, to more prurient violent tastes. Thanks!!
Excellent! This is a dense song, the opposite of punk's supposed simplicity, and I needed a guide. I've always found the lyric about nodding out to be interesting given Topper's heroin addiction. Wikipedia says Strummer complained, "How can I be singing anti-drug songs with you sitting behind me?" You point out that living by the river - and escape boats - could be a positive thing. I only saw the downside. Who knows what Strummer intended. You have some new pictograms that are perfect. Or maybe they aren't new and I wasn't paying close enough attention! I plan to watch again. I always learn more the second time through. My brain can't process the meaning of the illustrations and analyze the two guitar parts simultaneously. 🤓🥴😳
I would die if you covered these songs: “When You Were Young” by the Killers - how a hard rock song can sound nostalgic and like days missed out “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett - the essence of calm and beachy “Highway Star” by Deep Purple - what makes a song like a drag race Anything by Oingo Boingo - how to make a song about a morbid subject sound bouncy and goofy “Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard - What makes it a quintessential stripper song
Jimmy Buffet is a great lyricist who surrounds himself with fantastic musicians. I believe Michael Utley does most of the arranging. People laugh, but there is some really brilliant musical moments there, especially if you listen to his live albums.
Ive been learning a-lot about composing from you while I teach myself piano. I really enjoy your stuff! Would love to see you do an understanding "Where is my mind" by The Pixies
I can’t decide if I love or hate your videos! I don’t have a musical background, so a lot of the stuff about this or that chord is almost meaningless to me but you do manage to communicate all kinds of insights into the music… meanwhile, the constant use of short snippets of some of my favourite songs is an intensely frustrating musical blue-balling.
Your timing is pretty spot on. Good Morning America used 'London Calling' as the theme music for their coverage of the coronation of Charles III. At first I was a little confused by that but as it went on day-by-day, watching the 'news team' wearing ridiculous and overpriced hats and sitting in gold encrusted coaches while smiling like idiots and waving ... well, I got a good chuckle out of that. Some of my friends in the UK (who were in the punk scene with the Clash) also were highly amused.
23:00 I wonder if authoritarians will ever catch on to the fact that egalitarians constantly predict future changes correctly. Someone with the strength of sensitivity is more in tune with things in the present, and so better senses coming changes.
Brilliant work. This whole album was hugely important in my youth. I thought I knew it back to front, but didn’t know about the backward solo! A thought- in my head I always heard the chorus as a switch into the relative major key - Gmaj, in which case the F# makes more sense maybe? Anyway, please keep up the great work!
In the eighties I was obsessed with this album and wore my cassette tape down to the point it was no longer playable. Decades later I listened to it again and the magic was gone. I don’t know why.
Listened to death. In my teens i listened to so much Nirvana that it's enough for a lifetime. Still like it in a way but can't really enjoy it anymore.
@@herrtulpeskanal1980 same thing happened to me with Nirvana. Something that renewed my interest in a lot of bands (and music in general) was picking up a new instrument. I've played guitar for years and years, so I tended to focus most on that. Now that I play mostly bass, my focus has drifted there and to the dynamics between all the instruments. It's definitely brought back some of the freshness.
I live not far from where The Clash took the cover photo for Combat Rock. Nobody is sure of the exact location-there's a very good You Tube video where somebody tried to work it out as best as possible-as the area has become much more developed since then; you'd never realise it's the same place today.
It's an am7 with a flat 6. So, the pattern invoked in the intro is em, am, b. Ie i,iv,V. There's a slide from C to B, so he's not dropping a ninth, it's an octave. The slide is a slide from the minor third to the root of the V.
I recently read "Joe Strummer and the Legend of The Clash" by Kris Needs. In it he talks about one of their roadies making animal noises and calls to get everyone pumped up or just keep spirits up while on tour. I would bet that's where Strummer's seagull calls originated.
Much appreciated, so much more stuff going on than my simple monkey ears would have figured out without help. I deffinatly get more watching these with an instrument near by to pick up
Having just rewatched your Smells Like Teen Spirit breakdown & now this - I'm wondering if Kurt's idea to just let his guitar go into a changing feedback tone was inspired by this song also having the feedback carrying along - obviously not similar tone or structure, and in a verse, not breakdown, but it's an unusual decision to just let the feedback replace playing the notes in the last verse section & it got me thinking about inspiration. Kurt & I were of a similar age & had a lot of the same rock & pop early influences with the discovery of punk happening in early teens - and the Clash were always my favorite 1st wave band (with Minor Threat being my overall favorite).
Even though it's played more quietly I always heard an F chord more than only C; maybe something like F/C. Thus I see it in E Phrygian which isn't too far off from E Minor
Ahhh I'm geeking about your videos again and would love to suggest that you analyze something by Marianas Trench (Masterpiece Theater pt1-3 is my vote) or perhaps something by Creedence Clearwater Revival (I'd adore your take on Proud Mary or Fortunate Son but like, anything in their discography would be fascinating for you to dissect honestly!!) Not to demand anything here, I just find your analyses fascinating and think you'd be able to get a lotta mileage out of the above (you'd probably find some serious mileage in Dropkick Murphys' discography too, but idk)
Play the em at the 7th, the am7flat6 at the 12th, with the little.finger he was talking about adding the flat 6, and you have the exact chord from the recording.
Some additional thoughts/corrections:
1) I got a new mic and am still figure out how to use it, apologies for any stray plosives that managed to slip through. My old pop filter didn't fit with it so I have to get a new one. Should hopefully be here soon, but in the meantime I did my best with a highpass filter.
2) To emphasize the point about Topper Headon's precise playing, in order to line up the video and audio, I have to chop and stretch each individual beat of notation to line up with the appropriate hit. Typically there's some minor differences in length due to the natural fluctuations of a human performance, but for the opening drum groove, all 8 sections are within a single frame of each other. (And that difference is largely because the tempo of the song doesn't cleanly divide into the FPS of my footage.) The dude could keep time.
3) In retrospect, I wish I'd mentioned that Simonon's intro part leaps to C but slides to E, again differentiating the two approaches. I alluded to it, but could've been more explicit.
4) An interesting pattern to trace through this is the increasing agreement between Jones and Strummer through the sections. In a four-bar stretch of the intro, they agree on two chords. (well, one, really, but I'm counting the Emi-G thing as an agreement) In the same four bars of verse, they agree on three, and in four bars of the chorus, they agree on all four. I didn't have any way to tie that observation to anything meaningful so I left it out of the script, but still, it's neat.
5) On the "live by the river" line, one could argue that it's clear he means the positive interpretation because he prefaces it with "I have no fear", but I think it's a mistake to take that line at face value.
6) "Uncomfortable" was maybe the wrong word to describe the guitar solo. It's a good solo. It just sounds a little uncanny in a way that's hard to put your finger on until someone points out that it's backwards.
Please do The Smiths!
I always took the "I have no fear, I live by the river" to be a sneering acceptance of being the first to go. That could be because I read it in a similar sense to living near Faslane. You can't escape the devastation so you accept it in a dark humorous way.
...I actually thought Topper Headon's playing at the top of the video *was* a computer for a moment there - I thought you programmed it. That's incredible.
Maybe I'm weird, but that F in the F|Em chord is quite strong to me. and I barely hear the B. So I hear it as either Fmaj7/E or Fmaj9/E. It definitely does not sound static.
I literally just played it on my keyboard, and instinctively went for an F chord.
I always thought the reference to living by the river was a reference to higher affluence. You know, housing prices along the Thames are going to be higher, that kind of thing. He has no fear because, as a poor person, he has less to lose.
Imagine having writer's block and then writing the album London Calling
Bro that’s what I was thinking like gah dayum lol
In a way, actually not surprising. In my experience, though i will admit that writing books and music are different, i noticed a writers block is more the effect of not knowing how and what to do with your creative ideas which leaves them frequently bubbling up briefly before vanishing again.
I wrote my personal davorite bits of my books while struggling with writers block, always the ends of them and what i manage to write does need additional refining, but the ideas i get in those petiods are the ones i normally wouldn't get and thus are harder to work with in those moment while being the only statisfying ideas to put to paper.
C’mon writers block bring it on 😂
London could've flooded in all the creative energy that was stuck for a year.
Amazing. The Jam’s Paul Weller had the same experience before writing All Mod Cons. Perhaps it’s one part of creativity.
I always felt like the backward guitar solo symbolized the flood finally washing over and inundating the entire landscape. The original final line of the song was "I never felt so much alike singing the blues" with a clear SOS morse code ringing out. Blues music often uses flood symbology because the geographic region the musicians came from was very flood prone, it was an anxiety that they really felt. Also, I never felt the line "London is drowning and I live by the river" as conveying any hopefulness that he'd be saved. No, it's almost a sense of resignation. He has no fear because he knows he's trapped and he's resigned to his fate, he is going to drown right there with them.
That's how I heard the river reference. Good point about floods... When the Levee Breaks is the obvious example.
I always took the same "river" reference. He's not afraid of the coming apocalypse - he lives by the river and will be one of the first to die. He won't have to struggle through the resulting chaos. The album delivers 19 gems. Recognized as great, but still under-rated. My favorite rock album of all time.
Agreed. I think the "hopeful" feeling is more of the freedom that the poorest people feel when they realize they've nothing left to lose. It's not that his cataclysmic problems are yours not his, but because he's ready for the gift the gods are about to bestow, and he knows that you're not. It's an, "I'm fucked. But freed at the same time, while you'll still cling to what you used to own."
A lot of good comments here (always enjoy speaking with fellow Clash fans). This may be the best of them. The point about the floods and their relationship to the blues is especially good. After all, the home of the blues is the Mississippi Delta, which is named that way for good reason. Solid work.
1000 covers bands across the country going “shit, we’ve been doing it wrong for the past 20 years.”
i saw the clash play this live on any number of occasions back in the day. Mick always played E and Am chord shapes with his ring finger below his pinkie. in the song he slid his pinkie on the 9th fret of the D string (the B) up one fret to the 10th fret ie a C note. I saw him do this from 15 feet away and this is how he did it live anyway. If you look at photographs of Mick playing you will find any number of pics of Mick playing E and Am chord shapes like this
I don’t know how relevant this would have been in the 70s, but as someone who has recently lived in London, “living by the river” takes on a very specific meaning in London. The Thames divides London into two halves with distinct personalities and stereotypes. Yes, London is greatly diverse in the cultures of its boroughs, but being north or south of the river means something here. To “live by the river” is to toe that line, but also, at least in the modern day, it implies that you can afford to live around the touristy bits on the river. Heck, parliament is right on the Thames! Is it a statement about the government not caring about the issues because they know they’ll “get out alright”?
Great video as always though: wanted to pop in with added British context!
It's also simply impossible to live in London and not love the Thames, even if you're not in one of the parts closest to it. The Old Man is part of life here. Living in London /is/ living by the River.
Thank you for this comment. It makes perfect sense, and I think it's exactly what they were trying to say.
Not so much a north/south thing (Mick was from Streatham, I think, but they mainly squatted around West London). I believe Joe & Gaby were living in Edith Grove, by (aptly-named) World's End, when he wrote the song - which, let's face it, is less than a stone's throw from the Thames.
The bass always reminds me of horn fanfares, which matches the marching drum pattern to really hammer an urgent call-to-arms sound.
14:29 that low G up to the higher F also sounds like a 2 tone police siren, like the ones they use in Britain and most of Europe
They did this in many of their songs
What a stunning breakdown. The Clash is an all time favorite band (I’m wearing their shirt now!!) and I’ve been a casual musician and producer for over twenty years…and it never once occurred to me how bizarre and intricate this song is. I would have just guessed they were playing a minor chord followed by a major chord with another note thrown in (7th or 9th) and not thought much more of it. All these intricacies are fascinating and make an all time great song even greater!!
What I find interesting, and you omitted, that the opening bass line has this alternating quality of victory and defeat with the High C trill being evocative of Flight of the Valkyries in a victorious sense and the fall to the Low C in the alternate trill gives this victory but at what cost brooding that when coupled with the militant drums and marching guitars give this somber almost dirge like quality to a heavily military beat inspired opening to reinforce the tone and theme of the track. Truly brilliant on all levels.
I can't say enough about this record. The Clash were themselves. So punk even the parameters of punk didn't apply to them. And this record is a legitimate masterpiece.
Thank you for this video. Your expertise is evident, and I appreciate being able to learn from you.
Yeah, so much for punk being simple. I definitely didn't expect this.
London Calling was never one of my favourite Clash songs, but this really makes me appreciate it in a new way. Amazing work!
One of my favorite albums of all time
I remember when this came out. The following year, as part of the Royal College of Music's annual awards, they named it in a special category as a piece without any musical integrity. Effectively saying it did not constitute music. As a thirteen year old mad Clash fan, I couldn't have been prouder. Excellent analysis!
kudos for decoding that intriguing guitar situation there, and thank you so much for doing this. As a teenager I always found it equally obvious and mind boggling that this song sounded SO MUCH like all those things you mention: the endtimes, revolution, meltdown, call to action, angsty boredom... Twenty years on and Im trying to *make* songs like that. My guitarist sounds nothing like Jones but is also a massive Clash fan. I think their biggest influence on us is the weird chord juxtapostitions.
Turns out i was right about the superimposed chords, which vindicates 15-yo me!
much love, an ageing punk.
I just found this channel, and I have to say that this video absolutely blew me away! I am 62yrs old, so the late 60s, 70s, and 80s represented an incredibly impactful & influential period in my life...and, music had a major role to play in my intellectual, philosophical & artistic growth, as well as increased socio-political awareness. (...also, I do love a lot of music from the early/mid 90s & the 'Garage scene' after that..) Your analysis of "London Calling" added even greater appreciation for a song that I have long worshipped, and I can't thank you enough for that. Please continue your deep dives songs into the 'New Wave' era & the 80s, as there was soooo much truly important & interesting music, meaningful messages, technical evolution, and - yes - wit, humour & fun! Some of the songs that came out during the 'New Wave' era & the 80s still remain on my list of all-time favourites, even 40+ years later...and for good reason. I guess I'll be spending much of this week catching up on your previous vids! 👍😎👍
Nice analysis! I bought this album the day it came out and have heard it probably 100 times, but I learned a lot about the song today!
Loved hearing those guitar stems! Thank you for finally revealing that F/C voicing!!
1:21
It makes the fact they tried to replace Topper Headon with a drum machine all the more hilarious and sad. Proof that you can't replace every musician with a machine.
They did that? Wow.😕
The funny thing is, Topper was the best musician in the band and not just on drums, but all of the instruments. He was trained as a jazz musician, and could play a lot of different genres too.
I seem to remember he had an out of control addiction issue though? I may not remember that part correctly.
@@aylbdrmadison1051 Yeah, he had an out of control addiction. They also sacked Mick Jones, a massive mistake.
We don't talk about "Cut the Crap" lol
They tried to replace a Headon with a drum machine? Cut the crap and give me an answer WHY? The manager that did that was out of control!
.....I'll see myself out.
@@bonecanoe86 no we don't, only had to listen to it once to realized the band had already ended, and rightfully so!
7:17 You could even say it emphasizes... The Clash... between the two chords ;D
Yep
This song has been my ringtone for as long as there have been ringtones (and still gets me pumped, lo, these many decades since I bought the album). I really enjoyed your breakdown of it! Thanks!
I like your emphasis on groove and drumparts and the recent videos. It realy shows how much Pop and Rock are tied to percussion, while we tend to look on harmony and melody
Thanks so much for this. I was a teenage bassist when it came out. I still remember its energy
4:31 Chapeau @12tone with your nice easter egg reference to The Prisoner. I've been driving my friends and colleagues mad for years quoting the start of that show!
drum breakdown! way cool! pretty simple drumming, really, but supporting the song and making it move is what it's all about. thanks for that focus, it helps people hear it all better. cheers
Thanks so much, kid, for a fantastic and very possibly the best breakdown of a song i really love. People who disparage punk just haven't bothered to find the tremendous talent in the genre.
Fantastic analysis of a true classic! To me, the backward solo always made me think of something that's simultaneously moving relentlessly forward and right on the edge of falling into chaos. It feels urgent, otherworldly and frightening. Thanks for adding to my appreciation of a genius album I've enjoyed for decades!
Oh my god simultaneously moving relentlessly forward and right on the edge of falling into chaos is the PERFECT way to describe humanity right now and this song shows it so freaking perfectly
I know you covered a lot of these... Being a kid when this come out, some lines had an extra resonance if you lived in that time, even as a kid! ..
"see we ain't got no swing, Except for the ring of the truncheon thing" it was an era when there was lots of riots in the news and allegations of police violence and escalating the situation. (especially the S.P.G. special patrol group). It would build up to an absolute explosion about 81 ish and also inspire the song Ghost Town and Electric Avenue.
"The ice age is coming," at the time the train of scientific thought was we were about to have global cooling and not global warming. If you had family interested in environmental issues, (like your parents were activist hippies) you knew about it.
"'Cause London is drowning" flooding along the river front was a problem, the Thames barrier was under construction to deal with this and truly in the news.
"I live by the river" this was before regeneration of the river front, it was a decayed area full of disused warehouses from an earlier time and working class housing (often poorly maintained rental housing). It was also a culturally diverse and buzzing area with many bands and actors coming from those communities.
"A nuclear era, but I have no fear" the 3 mile island reactor had an accident that had blanket news coverage even here in the UK.
A great song, and a great analysis. I was regularly thinking about other interpretations of the parts, and I think that's what makes a video like this so good - it makes us think too. Probably think about a song we know very well in a much more intense manner.
6:32 excellent editing. I appreciate how much work goes into producing your videos like this.
Fantastic video! This vibrates with an intensity I never heard repeated. The ambiguous harmonic elements give it an unresolved feeling perfect for the dislocation it describes while the hooks give it a (bleak) optimism.
I love this channel and learning all these things.
I’m not a musician, or in a band or even studied music theory. But your break down of songs, with you cartoons is just so easy to follow and understand (right up until it try to explain a concept to someone else!)
Been hoping to see you do something from The Clash since I started watching! Yay!
What a delightful video. You guys really outdid yourselves
Excellent analysis. Even to me untrained ear I knew there was some crazy stuff going on this that opening. Neat to see it layed out.
One of my favorite songs of all time, and one of the best songs The Clash ever wrote. Thanks for breaking it down, and thanks for paying attention to all parts. I miss Joe Strummer.
Big thanks! I didn't pay any attention at the time; my tribe wasn't into The Clash. Now that I've outgrown that, this is fascinating.
I mean this in the best way but I always fall asleep when listening to your vids. Perfect for going to sleep too
Loving it, keep up the great work
At 18:18 I always interpreted that as referring to the great fire of London, in which the river front had a super important role.
Never been a fan of early punk, but this track is unmistakable and pretty well known nearly fifty years later. The musical structure of London Calling is - in a word - weird. But, you did a really good job breaking it apart while keeping your description non-confusing. Nice job!
Thank you. When you do the box set version of this channel, please do the whole London Calling as a bonus?
London was the centre of the punk scene which had collapsed into disorder the previous year, and I think there’s a measure of defiance about that in the lyrics.
Also before the Thames Barrier was built, London drowning was a distinct possibility.
Nice touch on the guitar solo analysis. The simple guitar chord voicings of F and Cm7 pit B-flat against A and E-flat against C building tension pulling towards the fourth and back to Em/C. Classic punk rock move.
This is fantastic analyst of any song thanks for posting
Awesome! I just started exploring punk music deep to write some of myself. Just finished your video on punk riffs, and this one popped! Never thought how complex and wide punk genre is 😶🌫
😶🌫️ this emoji puzzles me. What does it mean to you?
@@RockandRollWoman Overwhelmed I think. Just how I am feeling after every 12tone video 😶🌫
@Godjan Overwhelmed - Yup! 😵💫 His videos are dense. Sometimes I need a break in the middle. 😶🌫️ I am in awe of how he uses drawings to illustrate his analysis. I am in awe of creativity, period.
Wow. I never would’ve guessed this song was nearly as complex as it is. Amazing. It only makes me appreciate it that much more.
Awesome breakdown of The Clash's best song. I really dig seeing a reference to The Prisoner and Tigger while learning music theory. A super enjoyable learning experience.
Excellent work. Thanks.
Simply the best song ever laid to vinyl. An excellent strip down of this often complex but achingly beautiful track
Lovely just lovely stuff
I love the reference to the prisoner for six and information❤ amazing breakdown !
Thanks a lot! This song is part of the soundtrack of my youth...my life
Great vid! If you do any more punk or punk adjacent music I'd love to see analysis of Minutemen, any of "I Felt Like a Gringo," "The Glory of Man," or "Corona." Also Thrice's "Image of the Invisible," "For Miles" or "Beggars." Finally, Streetlight Manifesto's "If Only For Memories," The Hands That Thieve" or "Down, Down, Down to Mephisto's Cafe." Thanks for the videos. I've learned so much about music and am beginning to be able to understand/read sheet music, which is really wild!
I would definitely describe this as one of the best songs ever written and recorded. In my opinion, London Calling is the greatest album ever made, and The Clash the greatest band. Their influence is still being felt today by countless artists the world over.
They made it clear to me that I could make music, and that I could participate on my own terms - they totally changed my life and I never looked back.
Viva Joe Strummer!!
Out-fucking-standing! You only missed that Topper kept the crowd on the pogo, I was there. This was important. Punk in it's essence, was angsty dance music. This can also be a sad poem about the end of thoughtful angst and energy, to more prurient violent tastes.
Thanks!!
Excellent! This is a dense song, the opposite of punk's supposed simplicity, and I needed a guide.
I've always found the lyric about nodding out to be interesting given Topper's heroin addiction. Wikipedia says Strummer complained, "How can I be singing anti-drug songs with you sitting behind me?"
You point out that living by the river - and escape boats - could be a positive thing. I only saw the downside. Who knows what Strummer intended.
You have some new pictograms that are perfect. Or maybe they aren't new and I wasn't paying close enough attention!
I plan to watch again. I always learn more the second time through. My brain can't process the meaning of the illustrations and analyze the two guitar parts simultaneously. 🤓🥴😳
London Calling is so damn good, any music fan can appreciate it.
Amazing song, fantastic breakdown.
great analysis of a great song!
So that's why they're called The Clash.
Great choice! Id love to hear your take on Matthew Sweets "Thunderstorm".
As a bassist, one of my favorite lines to play!
17:35 If you ever want to get a blank stare, ask a guitarist, "Hey, why'd you switch from Phrygian to natural minor?"
I would die if you covered these songs:
“When You Were Young” by the Killers - how a hard rock song can sound nostalgic and like days missed out
“Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffett - the essence of calm and beachy
“Highway Star” by Deep Purple - what makes a song like a drag race
Anything by Oingo Boingo - how to make a song about a morbid subject sound bouncy and goofy
“Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard - What makes it a quintessential stripper song
Jimmy Buffet is a great lyricist who surrounds himself with fantastic musicians. I believe Michael Utley does most of the arranging. People laugh, but there is some really brilliant musical moments there, especially if you listen to his live albums.
Ive been learning a-lot about composing from you while I teach myself piano. I really enjoy your stuff! Would love to see you do an understanding "Where is my mind" by The Pixies
I loved the Pennyfarthing reference to 'Information' and Jeremy Hillary Boob for which one he means!
I can’t decide if I love or hate your videos! I don’t have a musical background, so a lot of the stuff about this or that chord is almost meaningless to me but you do manage to communicate all kinds of insights into the music… meanwhile, the constant use of short snippets of some of my favourite songs is an intensely frustrating musical blue-balling.
Your timing is pretty spot on. Good Morning America used 'London Calling' as the theme music for their coverage of the coronation of Charles III. At first I was a little confused by that but as it went on day-by-day, watching the 'news team' wearing ridiculous and overpriced hats and sitting in gold encrusted coaches while smiling like idiots and waving ... well, I got a good chuckle out of that. Some of my friends in the UK (who were in the punk scene with the Clash) also were highly amused.
as someone who's only familiar with the Muppets' rendition of this song, thank you for these videos. I love learning more about music from you!
as someone who never knew a muppets version even existed...
@@DeaconTaylor Robin the Frog led a version during their live show in London a few years ago
Now I have to hope YT has a copy of that version.
@@katherinelynch4193 I didn't expect Robin the Frog would become a punk rock icon but I love that for him.
@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 well there's precedent for it. He was so enamored with Debbie Harry when she guest starred on the Muppet Show
Hearing that isolated backwards solo made me go "wait what the hell??" in the best way possible 😂😅
23:00 I wonder if authoritarians will ever catch on to the fact that egalitarians constantly predict future changes correctly. Someone with the strength of sensitivity is more in tune with things in the present, and so better senses coming changes.
aw, this was Ma's favorite album. In fact, she named me after "The Guns of Brixton" on that album, according to Dad xD
Brilliant work. This whole album was hugely important in my youth. I thought I knew it back to front, but didn’t know about the backward solo!
A thought- in my head I always heard the chorus as a switch into the relative major key - Gmaj, in which case the F# makes more sense maybe?
Anyway, please keep up the great work!
love 'The Prisoner' reference at 4:32!
In the eighties I was obsessed with this album and wore my cassette tape down to the point it was no longer playable. Decades later I listened to it again and the magic was gone. I don’t know why.
Listened to death. In my teens i listened to so much Nirvana that it's enough for a lifetime. Still like it in a way but can't really enjoy it anymore.
@@herrtulpeskanal1980 same thing happened to me with Nirvana. Something that renewed my interest in a lot of bands (and music in general) was picking up a new instrument. I've played guitar for years and years, so I tended to focus most on that. Now that I play mostly bass, my focus has drifted there and to the dynamics between all the instruments. It's definitely brought back some of the freshness.
I love The Clash.
Love “The Warriors” reference.
I live not far from where The Clash took the cover photo for Combat Rock. Nobody is sure of the exact location-there's a very good You Tube video where somebody tried to work it out as best as possible-as the area has become much more developed since then; you'd never realise it's the same place today.
The Clash are great because they played so many different styles but always sound like the Clash. The Damned are another great punk band like that.😎💯
Nice one!
First LP I ever bought. As a London kid, it felt like it was written for me.
I love the drawing of simonon smashing his p-bass! Make some merch with it! Like a sticker or a t-shirt would be awesome! 😊
Can't say I'm a punk fan but this breakdown was incredible
10:48 agreed! its 4xEm but with stuff on top. At least that's how the whole sounds.
It's an am7 with a flat 6. So, the pattern invoked in the intro is em, am, b. Ie i,iv,V. There's a slide from C to B, so he's not dropping a ninth, it's an octave. The slide is a slide from the minor third to the root of the V.
I've heard this song AT LEAST one thousand times and just today I found out the solo is backwards.
08:55, it's a Brussels Sprouts chord.
Please do a breakdown of some sleep token. I think they’re growing super fast with very interesting music that could be great to study
I recently read "Joe Strummer and the Legend of The Clash" by Kris Needs. In it he talks about one of their roadies making animal noises and calls to get everyone pumped up or just keep spirits up while on tour. I would bet that's where Strummer's seagull calls originated.
The clash is simply the best.
Much appreciated, so much more stuff going on than my simple monkey ears would have figured out without help.
I deffinatly get more watching these with an instrument near by to pick up
Having just rewatched your Smells Like Teen Spirit breakdown & now this - I'm wondering if Kurt's idea to just let his guitar go into a changing feedback tone was inspired by this song also having the feedback carrying along - obviously not similar tone or structure, and in a verse, not breakdown, but it's an unusual decision to just let the feedback replace playing the notes in the last verse section & it got me thinking about inspiration. Kurt & I were of a similar age & had a lot of the same rock & pop early influences with the discovery of punk happening in early teens - and the Clash were always my favorite 1st wave band (with Minor Threat being my overall favorite).
Even though it's played more quietly I always heard an F chord more than only C; maybe something like F/C. Thus I see it in E Phrygian which isn't too far off from E Minor
Ahhh I'm geeking about your videos again and would love to suggest that you analyze something by Marianas Trench (Masterpiece Theater pt1-3 is my vote) or perhaps something by Creedence Clearwater Revival (I'd adore your take on Proud Mary or Fortunate Son but like, anything in their discography would be fascinating for you to dissect honestly!!)
Not to demand anything here, I just find your analyses fascinating and think you'd be able to get a lotta mileage out of the above (you'd probably find some serious mileage in Dropkick Murphys' discography too, but idk)
The Clash have not been properly recognized for the work they've done in their successful war on counterfeit Beatlemania memorabilia.
Any plans to analyse some The Orb? I'd like to hear you analyse a song that's 8 mins of ambient samples and bubbling synth with no sudden changes.
Play the em at the 7th, the am7flat6 at the 12th, with the little.finger he was talking about adding the flat 6, and you have the exact chord from the recording.
I would love to see an analysis of a Gordon Lightfoot song. Seems intriguing