Organizers of the 2012 Olympic Games in London have dusted off The Clash's "London Calling" for use as a "come-see us" promo, which some are calling the most clueless use of a song since Ronald Reagan appropriated "Born in the USA."
"In the song, London's got zombies wandering around, the river's flooding, and the policemen are beating everyone up," says Connor. "So it's not much of a way of saying, 'Hey, come and watch our beach volleyball — you'll have a great time.'"
That said, there is some important history and symbolism bound up in the song's title. Before the band appropriated it, the phrase "London calling" was mainly identified with the BBC World Service and its broadcasts to occupied countries during World War II.
Connor says the song's opening line, "London calling to the faraway towns," was a battle cry for a different struggle — the cultural war that punk rock had ushered in.
I don't know -- from dispatches-from-home in WWII to a punk rock anthem announcing war on "phony Beatlemania" to a 2012 Olympic come-on; there's a certain symmetry there. Maybe if the committee used some zombies in the opening ceremonies, it would tied everything together.
Anyway, it's an opportunity to listen to one of the best songs of the punk era.
