London Town

"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 in the US, in Canada and in the UK. It also reached 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. The recording features a lead vocal by Paul McCartney and backing vocals by Linda McCartney and Laine. 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. Laine also plays guitar, Paul McCartney plays bass guitar and Linda McCartney plays keyboards. Lyrics and music The lyrics of "London Town" describe "ordinary people" and everyday life in London. According to Beatles biographer John Blaney, it "presents a romanticized view of London; part reportage and part fantasy." Blaney elaborates that it combines "idealisation with acute observations of everyday street life." 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." Benitez notes a theme of loneliness throughout the lyrics, as the singer feels alienated from the Londoners he describes. "London Town" is a soft rock song in the key of E major. 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. 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. 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." 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. These two middle verses also end with the phrase "Well, I don't know."