London's Burning

"London's Burning" is a song by The Clash from their eponymous debut album. It is the eighth track in the U.K. version of this album, and the seventh track in the U.S. version, from 1979. It is sung by Joe Strummer (and Mick Jones, with Paul Simonon in the chorus), who starts the song shouting "London's Burning!" two times. The song continues talking about London's automobile traffic, where young people try to get their kicks driving around in their cars through the night, feeling bored and far from happy. This message is clearly seen in the next verse: "I'm up and down the Westway, in an' out the lights What a great traffic system – it's so bright I can't think of a better way to spend the night Than speeding around underneath the yellow lights" The song alludes to the boredom of TV and may also reflect the racial theme often treated by the band, notably in the first verse with the line: "Black or white turn it on, face the new religion". The song's name came from popular nursery rhyme about the Great Fire of London (1666).