We've asked our London Walkers and London Walks guides to nominate their favorite London songs… and the playlist is proving to be wide-ranging and eclectic indeed.
From punk to jazz, with a little music hall thrown in along the way, we'll be collating them all here on The Daily Constitutional over the next few weeks in the run-up to the launch of our new Rock'n'Roll London Pub Walk every Wednesday from 1st May 2013.
As usual, we want to hear from you. What are your favorite London songs? Anything goes, from a tune mentioning a London location, to a piece of music composed here, if it has a strong London connection or theme, we'll add it to the list. Email us at the usual address, message us on Twitter @londonwalks or leave a comment below…
An email arrives from London Walks guide Rex. Brief and to the point, it reads thus:"I Live In Trafalgar Square." And why, you might ask, does the Baron Rex of Tooting wish to announce his change of address via this blog? The answer is, of course, that he is simply nominating his favorite London song.
Written by the prolific C.W Murphy (see also Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly, 1908) and published in 1902, I'll stick my neck out, here (it's Adam writing), and suggest that we've found the definitive version of the song in the Stanley Holloway take below…
I Live In Trafalgar Square – Stanley Holloway ('Ere's 'Olloway) – on Spotify
And here's the lyric to the chorus so you can sing along:
I live in Trafalgar Square – with four lions to guard me.
Fountains and statues all over the place, And the Metropole staring me right in the face. I'll admit it's a trifle drafty, But I look at it this way, you see:
If it's good enough for Nelson, It's quite good enough for me.
Rex
Rex worked at the opening night of the Rainbow Theatre rock music venue in Finsbury Park – it was his first grown up job! After that he got a history degree at LSE and has been a public relations man, political campaigner, lobbyist and managing director of a firm in the City of London. Today he is a Blue Badge guide and an elected councillor in Tooting, South London. He can often be found of a Friday afternoon leading the Rock'n'Roll London Walk.
Keep the nominations coming – you can email us at the usual address, message us on Twitter @londonwalks or leave a comment below…
The Rock'n'Roll London Pub Walk launches on Wednesday 1st May 2013. The Rock'n'Roll London Walk (without pubs!) goes every Friday at 2.00pm. Both walks meet at Tottenham Court Road Station (Exit 3). You can keep up with the Rock'n'Roll London Walk on Facebook, Twitter and at www.rocknrolllondon.com.
A London Walk costs £9 – £7 concession. To join a London Walk, simply meet your guide at the designated tube station at the appointed time. Details of all London Walks can be found at www.walks.com.
