When the Clash's song "London Calling" was recorded in late 1979, punk rock had already peaked. To jolt the genre, the Clash combined punk with reggae, & rockabilly with soul, resulting in one of the era's most stirring and influential political rock anthems. With its martial beat, rock-steady-funk bass line and lashing lyrics, the song warned about a world that was changing for the worse. Co-written by Mick Jones and the late Joe Strummer, the song "London Calling" never was a Billboard hit in the U.S.—though the album on which it appeared (and shares a title) did hit the charts in 1980 and has sold more than five million copies world-wide.
Read the entire article in The Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/1yjGqlR
Watch The Clash perform London Calling live in Tokyo in 1982 via YouTube: