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'Born in Croydon' and other famous songs about Croydon

ChrisBrennan

ChrisBrennan

Member
Location
Leuven
Country
Belgium
Hey fellow Eagles fans!!

Just to let you know that my band 'Black Letter & The Broadsheet Balladeers' released their first single 'Born in Croydon' a few months back. You can find it on Spotify, Tidal and all other streaming platforms.

It started out as an ode to where I grew up, Thornton Heath, Selhurst, Norbury etc, but kind of morphed into a 'social commentary/protest' song, so don't expect any geographical mentions, other than in the title!!

Also, a few weeks back we released our first album, you can listen to it here on Bandcamp:

blackletterandthebroadsheetballadeers.bandcamp.com

Black Letter & the Broadsheet Balladeers, by Black Letter & The Broadsheet Balladeers

12 track album
blackletterandthebroadsheetballadeers.bandcamp.com blackletterandthebroadsheetballadeers.bandcamp.com

We're a folky, jazzy, psychedelic influenced alternative band - I think!!!

Finally, if anyone wants to follow us, you can find us on Instagram. I'll be popping by here fairly regularly, been a memeber since 2016 (don't know why it says I'm a new member!!) so I'll be only too happy to connect with people and chat about the music or anything Palace related.

A little quiz - other than this song, can anyone think of a song which mentions Croydon either in the title or in the lyrics? I can think of at least one!!

Cheers and up the Eagles x
 
Yeah, you're right - good call my man. Listening to it now, the lyrics are spot on, it's a great song:


I attended Stanley Tech
In South Norwood Hill
I think it was, oh yeah
Where the bronze bust was nicked
Let me think, it must've been in my third year
Lying in wait outside Virgo Fidelis
And the Lady Edridge Grammar School
I worked at the Fairfield Halls
Cleaning toilets, but I understood some day
I'd be back in my own right
Giving concerts in my own peculiar way
But I kept my rabbit back at home
And I cleaned it every other day
(other day, other day, other day)
And now the time has come to say
Farewell Dad with your sardines
And the TV set that I blew
And now the time has come to say
Farewell Mum to your baked beans
And the poppadums I never knew

I'll be in Los Angeles
Where the famous people never quite get old
Yeah, in Los Angeles
Where they're all too rich to even feel the cold
But I'll still be dreaming of you Croydon
Especially in the cold and rain
(cold and rain, cold and rain, cold and rain)
And now the time has come to say
I'll be leaving Croydon way
To the lovely town I once knew
And now the time has come to say
I'll be back another day
Saying sod LA, what a day
What a day
What a day
What a day
What a day
 
Henry Wu wrote, produced and sung a track entitled Croydon Depot. Also something called Good Morning Peckham.
 
Don't know him, but yeah, you're absolutely right. Closer to the genre that is now more closely linked to Croydon, but way off from what I was originally thinking. Cheers mate.
 
ChrisBrennan said:
Don't know him, but yeah, you're absolutely right. Closer to the genre that is now more closely linked to Croydon, but way off from what I was originally thinking. Cheers mate.
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Born in Dulwich as Henry Gilbert Williams and also known as Kamaal Williams. Very innovative and creative.
 
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In "Screen Kiss" by Thomas Dolby the line goes
" a Croydon girl could really hope to find a home "
 
The one I always think of is 'Saturday Gigs' by Mott the Hoople, closely associated with Bromley boy David Bowie.
Ralph McTell's 'Streets of London' has the lyric 'Have you seen the old man in a closed-down market?
Kicking up the paper with his worn out shoes...' He lived in Croydon for a number of years and the 'closed-down market' was purportedly Surrey street market.
Croydon has a frickin' great musical history 🙂
 
Teddy Eagle said:
Bit unfair since I don't know any songs called Croydon is a Desperate Craphole. Rest assured it would have been the first one mentioned.
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That's a bit below the belt my friend!! It's not the most beautiful of places, but it does, on the whole, have genuine hardworking people. I see you're in Scotland, I love Scotland x
 
ChrisBrennan said:
That's a bit below the belt my friend!! It's not the most beautiful of places, but it does, on the whole, have genuine hardworking people. I see you're in Scotland, I love Scotland x
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Of course, it was just a small jibe.
Scotland is a pretty good place to live; it's cheaper and the people are, mostly, friendly, although asking if I know a bloke they met in Ealing in 1958 gets a bit wearing. The weather can be a bit moody but not as bad as reported - I've been there for 8 years (my wife is Scottish). Sold up in London because friends and family had pretty much all moved out and am very glad that we did.
 
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