“This is London calling…” were the opening words used by the BBC World’s Service’s station identification.  Those words especially became well-known during World War II, when the citizens of occupied Europe would listen to the officially-banned BBC in order to discover how the war was actually going.

In The Clash’s song, London is calling because it’s worried about what’s happening in both the UK and the rest of the world.  Along with mentioning police violence, the rise of drug use, and the risk of the Thames overflowing, the song also finds time to mention the recent nuclear accident at Three Mile Island on the other side of the pond.  At the time the song was written, it seemed that London was drowning in more ways that one.

The Clash managed to go for 23 years before finally allowing London Calling to be used in a commercial.  At the time, Joe Strummer said that, after 20 years, the members of the group deserved something for having recorded one of the most iconic punk songs and, as such, the song was used in a Jaguar commercial.  It has since gone on to be used in a British airways advertisement.

The video was directed by longtime Clash associate and Big Audio Dynamite co-founder, Don Letts.

Enjoy!