Streets of London (song)

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"Streets of London" is a folk song written by Ralph McTell. It was first recorded for McTell's 1969 album Spiral Staircase but was not released as a single until 1974. It was his greatest commercial success, reaching number two in the UK singles chart, at one point, selling 90,000 copies a day, and winning him the Ivor Novello Award.

The song was inspired by McTell's experiences busking and hitchhiking throughout Europe, especially in London and Paris; although the individual stories are taken from Parisians, London is chosen for its arguably more sonorous name. The song contrasts the common problems of everyday people with those of the homeless, lonely elderly, and ignored and forgotten members of society.

The melody resembles in some parts Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel from the year 1677, and main verses as well as the guitar arrangement and fingerstyle pattern were taken from that of 'Samuel, Oh How You've Changed!' recorded by Al Stewart in 1967 (from the album Bed-Sitter Images).

McTell left the song off his debut album, as he regarded it as too depressing, and did not record it until his 1969 Spiral Staircase album.

Many artists have done covers of this classic song including Sir Cliff Richard, Blackmore's Night, Joan Baez, Roger Whittaker, Gordon Lightfoot, Sinéad O'Connor, and by the Anti-Nowhere League in 1981.