History Music / LondonCalling

* TakeThat: "London Calling" has the line "Phony Beatlemania has bitten the dust", which has been taken as referring to either a Broadway musical called ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatlemania_(musical) Beatlemania]]'' whose run ended around the same time the album was recorded, or to Music/{{Wings}}, implying that it was Music/PaulMcCartney's failed attempt to remain as popular as he was with Music/TheBeatles. However, this later became a bit awkward after Music/JohnLennon was shot and killed the following year.

* GenreBusting: Whether or not ''London Calling'' should be considered a PunkRock record remains up for debate given the heavy jazz and reggae elements. Some would argue that it was an early defining moment for PostPunk.

--> ''You see, he feels like Ivan\\

The result effectively demonstrated The Clash's ability to [[EvolvingMusic evolve rapidly and successfully]]. ''London Calling'' is the subject of the book [[http://www.marcusgray.co.uk/clash/ ''Route 19 Revisited: The Clash and the Making of'' London Calling]] by Marcus Gray, who exhaustively compiled interviews and information about the record in order to provide a new appreciation for The Clash and its work.

* {{Yuppie}}: An UnbuiltTrope at the time, but "Koka Kola", about cocaine-addicted corporate hotshots, shows that the archetype was starting recognizably emerge by 1979.

[[caption-width-right:350:''"London calling, at the top of the dial/And after all this, won't you give me a smile?"'']]

* TyopOnTheCover:
** The original CD issue of ''London Calling'' credited "The Guns of Brixton" to Music/PaulSimon instead of Paul Simonon, as well as listing the title track as being five minutes long instead of three.
** "Train In Vain" was technically a secret track on the original ''London Calling'' LP, but wasn't intended to be; the band decided to include the track after the artwork was completed. The original [=CDs=] have it listed as the final track, while the 1999 and 2004 reissues use the original artwork and therefore make no mention of it.

* RefrainFromAssuming: The "Stand by me" chorus of "Train in Vain" confused listeners so much that in the States the single was released as "Train in Vain (Stand by Me)." The song itself is a last-minute addition and was not featured at the track listing, which makes things worse.