Top 500 London tube stops that are referenced in songs

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500. Ladbroke Grove in "Ladbroke Grove" by St Etienne.
499. Margate in "Man With A Box" by Salad.
498. Archway in "Blue Moon In Archway" by the Boo Radleys.
497. Dagenham in "Dagenham Dave" by Morrisey (or was it the Smiths).
496. Wimbledon in countless Wombles songs.

Over to you.

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 8 December 2003 15:46 (twenty-one years ago)

495 Guns of BRIXTON
494 in CAMDEN TOWN

Margate isn't a tube stop, surely?

― Mog, Monday, 8 December 2003 15:50 (twenty-one years ago)

There aren't 500 tube stops. But 'Foxbase Alpha' contains most of them.

― Enrique (Enrique), Monday, 8 December 2003 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

493. "Morden A Feeling" by Boston

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 8 December 2003 15:52 (twenty-one years ago)

495. Camden Town in "Camden Town" by Suggs.

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 8 December 2003 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

"Victoria" by the Kinks. Ho ho.

― Rob M (Rob M), Monday, 8 December 2003 15:55 (twenty-one years ago)

"Waterloo" by Abba. He he.

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 8 December 2003 15:57 (twenty-one years ago)

494. Waterloo Sunset

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 8 December 2003 15:58 (twenty-one years ago)

493-489

"BAKER STREET" -- Gerry Rafferty
"ALL SAINTS" -- David Bowie
"ANGEL" -- Jimi Hendrix
"Play With Fire" -- Rolling Stones (I know it mentions KNIGHTSBRIDGE; possibly others)
"MILE END" -- Pulp

― Nom De Plume (Nom De Plume), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:00 (twenty-one years ago)

The soundtrack to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - oh come on, it might as well be Seven Sisters.

Roy Harper - (Tottenham) Hale Good Fellow and Well Met.

I might have made that one up.

― Sarah (starry), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Girl vii by St Etienne does indeed feature loads of tube stops:

Dollis Hill
Gospel Oak
Chalk Farm
arnos grove
Tufnell park
maida vale
Kennington (I suppose kinda)
Holland park
Canonbury
Silvertown (does DLR count?)

Did I miss any?

― chris (chris), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:06 (twenty-one years ago)

"Underground" by Funky DL bases its lyric on working as many underground stations into its story as possible, so perhaps that would be cheating.

― Tim (Tim), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Let's just make this 100 songs then!

100. Ladbroke Grove in "Ladbroke Grove" by St Etienne.
99. Archway in "Blue Moon In Archway" by the Boo Radleys.
98. Dagenham in "Dagenham Dave" by Morrisey (or was it the Smiths).
97. Wimbledon in countless Wombles songs.
96. Brixton in "Guns of Brixton" by The Clash
95. Camden Town in "Camden Town" by Suggs.
94. Victoria in "Victoria" by the Kinks.
93. Waterloo in "Waterloo" by Abba and "Waterloo Sunset" by the Kinks.
92, Baker Street in "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty
91. All Saints in "All Saints" by David Bowie
90. Angel in "Angel" by Jimi Hendrix
89. Knightsbridge in "Play With Fire" by the Rolling Stones
88. Mile End in "Mile End" by Pulp
87-79. Dollis Hill, Chalk Farm, arnos grove, Tufnell park, maida vale, Kennington, Holland park, Canonbury, Silvertown all in "Girl VII" by St. Etienne

― dog latin (dog latin), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:11 (twenty-one years ago)

has this not been done afore? maybe i'm thinking of just London place names in song

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Carter USM 'The Only Living Boy In New Cross'

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:13 (twenty-one years ago)

77. Arsenal in several Arsenal FA Cup records

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:15 (twenty-one years ago)

76. Liverpool Street in Nick Heyward's 'London'

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:15 (twenty-one years ago)

OK, 100 seems more do-able, so 'ere's two more:

"POSSIBLY PARSONS GREEN" -- Fairport Convention
"WHITE CITY" -- Pogues

― Nom De Plume (Nom De Plume), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:16 (twenty-one years ago)

73. Balham to Brooklyn - Turin Brakes

― William Bloody Swygart (mrswygart), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:17 (twenty-one years ago)

72. "Denmark Street" by the Kinks, which means Tottenham Court Road.

― Rob M (Rob M), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:21 (twenty-one years ago)

71. "London" by the Smiths, which mentions Euston. (I should have said "Mentions" instead of "Means" in 72 too)

― Rob M (Rob M), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:23 (twenty-one years ago)

are St Etienne the only band who can do this without always sounding trite?

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:26 (twenty-one years ago)

70. "Saw you walking down by the Ladbroke Grove this morning" - 'Slim Slow Slider' by Van Morrison

― NickB (NickB), Monday, 8 December 2003 16:28 (twenty-one years ago)

69) St James Park - Go Betweens, can't remember the song name.

― MikeB, Monday, 8 December 2003 16:31 (twenty-one years ago)

68) Kings Cross - Pet Shop Boys

― MikeB, Monday, 8 December 2003 16:35 (twenty-one years ago)

67) TEMPLE of Love - Sisters of Mercy

― MikeB, Monday, 8 December 2003 16:45 (twenty-one years ago)

66-62 Feature my old schoolboy tube stop of GOLDERS GREEN:

"Willesden Green" -- Kinks
"Eeh! Ah! Oh! Ooh!" -- The Goons
"Going Down To Golders Green" -- George Harrison
"Golders Green (Stomp)" -- Mott The Hoople
"Finchley Central" -- New Vaudeville Band

― Nom De Plume (Nom De Plume), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:01 (twenty-one years ago)

61. Underworld 'Born Slippy (Nuxx)' (Tadd-en-ham Court Road)

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:08 (twenty-one years ago)

60. Home for a Rest - Spirit of the West (Euston Station)

― may pang (maypang), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

While talking about Underworld, don't forget ducking into the Farringdon tube stop in dirty epic
Its hard to tell sometimes whether a mention is of the street or the tube stop: "your ladbroke grove is turning me on" in I Spy by Pulp

― filz, Monday, 8 December 2003 18:22 (twenty-one years ago)

60. 'dedicated follower of fashion', the kinks
'in [something something] and Leicester Squeyah!'

― cis (cis), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:24 (twenty-one years ago)

has this not been done afore? maybe i'm thinking of just London place names in song

there's an infamous (and v. funny) ILE thread from '01 on band names & tube stations

― zebedee (zebedee), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:39 (twenty-one years ago)

59. 'Oxford Circus'
58. 'Ealing Broadway'
57. 'Turnham Green'
56. 'Bond Street Blues'
55. 'Angel' *
54. 'Seven Sisters' *
53. 'St. Pauls'
52. 'Brixton'
51. 'Arsenal'
50. 'Piccadilly Circus'
49. 'Mile End'
48. 'Southall'
47. 'White City'
46. 'Hounslow West'
45. 'Regents Park'
44. 'Euston Square'
43. 'Kew Gardens'
42. 'Hyde Park Corner'

All titles by L. Paul-Phillips except * L. Paul-Phillips and A. Singer

― David (David), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry that should be R. Singer

― David (David), Monday, 8 December 2003 18:44 (twenty-one years ago)

This thread has put me on a major nostalgia trip (I grew up in London but don't live there anymore), and I'd love to see it hit 100, so here's the rack of my brain. Hey, it's a Monday; who wants to work anyway:

41-26

"Demolition Man" -- Police ("I'm an ARSENAL of doom")
"BANK Holiday" -- Blur
"Winter (Hostel Maxi)" -- The Fall ("...cans of BARBICAN")
"Life and How To Live It" -- REM (...BARKING in the streets...")
"Kayleigh" -- Marillion (BELSIZE PARK)
"The Prisoner" -- Clash (CHARING CROSS)
"CYPRUS Avenue" -- Van Morrison
"Drug Stabbing Time" -- Clash ("GREENWICH mean time")
"HAMPSTEAD Girl" -- Dream Academy
"Aqualung" -- Jethro Tull ("...the Robin Hood of HIGHGATE..")
"Jeffrey Goes to LEICESTER SQUARE" -- Jethro Tull
"MONUMENT" -- Depeche Mode
"Uncle Sam's On Mars" -- Hawkwind ("...the OVAL room...")
"Strange Fruit" -- Billie Holiday ("POPLAR trees")
"RICHMOND" -- The Faces
"By The Sea" -- Suede ("SEVEN SISTERS")

― Nom De Plume (Nom De Plume), Monday, 8 December 2003 21:45 (twenty-one years ago)

60. 'dedicated follower of fashion', the kinks
'in [something something] and Leicester Squeyah!'

[something something] = Regent Street. Dunno if that's a tube station as well, though.

― Ben Dot (1977), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 01:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Morrissey gives us Vauxhall & I, Your Arsenal, Earls Court, Sloane Square

― bham, Tuesday, 9 December 2003 11:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Carter USM again:

"By the American graffiti / from Elephant and Castle / in Ford Capri orange, / Volkswagen yellow and gold" -- A Prince in a Pauper's Grave

"You took me to a restaurant / on Fulham Broadway / to show me who you are" -- Rent

― OleM (OleM), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Also, these appear not to have been used:

"One stop past Embankment and the coughs begin /
Hell hath no fury like an insecure Englishman"
-- Momus: "The Homosexual"

"[something something something] to Heathrow Central /
It was picked up by a hippie in a Hertz car rental"
-- The Fun Boy Three: "The Farm Yard Connection"

"We've all been to Pimlico /
It's got a lovely gallery"
-- David Devant and His Spirit Wife: "Pimlico"

Plus, of course, "London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down" etc.

― OleM (OleM), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 12:46 (twenty-one years ago)

"everybody knows down Ladbroke Grove you have to leap across the street' (Leo Sayer, One Man Band)

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 13:41 (twenty-one years ago)

whichever lemon jelly track it is that mentions kentish town

― j0e (j0e), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Why do so many people reference Ladbroke Grove? I've never been. Is it good?

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 13:48 (twenty-one years ago)

White Man in Hammersmith Palais - Clash
No Sleep till Hammersmith - Motorhead (album)

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 16:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Monolake - Terminal

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 16:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Angletrax - Shepherd's Bush

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 16:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Pogues - White City

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 16:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Bim Sherman - Chancery Lane

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 16:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Why do so many people reference Ladbroke Grove? I've never been. Is it good?

It's good for record shops. Me, I can't believe that no-one's ever celebrated the virtues of Mudchute in song...

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 16:48 (twenty-one years ago)

and there must be some old english folk songs called Royal Oak and Parson's Green, but that ain't exactly my scene

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 16:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Indident at Mudchute - The Recedents

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 16:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Incident

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 16:52 (twenty-one years ago)

My God. Nice work Nick. ;o)

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 16:54 (twenty-one years ago)

Oval - Joey Beltram

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 16:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I just had an unpleasant phone call so I don't wanna play 'work' anymore today

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 16:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Victoria - The Fall

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 17:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Billy Bragg - From a Vauxhall Velox

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 17:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Richmond - The Faces

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 17:04 (twenty-one years ago)

post from 2007

'I Don't Wanna Go To Hoxton' by Earl Zinger

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 17:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Bethnal Green Tube Disaster - Frank Tovey

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 17:06 (twenty-one years ago)

Holloway Girl - Marillion (inspite of what I said about folk upthread, these aren't songs I'd recommend)

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 17:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Marillion also mention (a) Belsize Park in 'Kayleigh'.

― NickB (NickB), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 17:14 (twenty-one years ago)

fav reference = The Streets - Has it Come to This
My underground train runs from Mile End to Ealing

From Brixton to Bounds Green

― nick.K (nick.K), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 17:15 (twenty-one years ago)

"Around the Marble Arch"

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 17:21 (twenty-one years ago)

"Plaistow Flex Out" by Squarepusher
that "Shadwell Army" song they sing in ID.

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 17:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Prince "Thieves in the Temple"
Shalamar "Take That to the Bank"

― MarkH (MarkH), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 17:39 (twenty-one years ago)

i once ran into robin hitchcock in the ladbroke grove tube. he was wearing purple trousers.

― bucky wunderlick (bucky), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 18:54 (twenty-one years ago)

The lack of a mention of Holborn, Lancaster Gate or Tottenham Court Road probably is the ultimate evidence that London residents are a lot more likely to write about London geography than people who have only visited London as tourists :-)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 9 December 2003 23:26 (twenty-one years ago)

once again, Geir manages to completely confuse me.

― chris (chris), Wednesday, 10 December 2003 10:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Holborn, Lancaster Gate or Tottenham Court Road He means where all the hotels are...Anglophile tourists not going home and writing songs about the areas they stayed in in London. The Columbia Hotel in Lancaster Gate (used to be the standard rock-stars-in-London hotel) has been put into quite a few songs hasn't it?

― David (David), Wednesday, 10 December 2003 11:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Next up, Top 100 British holiday resorts that are referenced in songs.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 10 December 2003 12:10 (twenty-one years ago)

Sunny Goodge Street - Donovan

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 10 December 2003 12:16 (twenty-one years ago)

But Geir... didn't you notice me saying that "Denmark Street" by the Kinks mentions Tottenham Court Road... I swear everyone ignores me...

― Rob M (Rob M), Wednesday, 10 December 2003 13:48 (twenty-one years ago)

"Angel" - My Life Story

*cough*

"Brooklyn To Brixton" - Freq Nasty

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Wednesday, 10 December 2003 14:38 (twenty-one years ago)

"By the Sea" by Suede mentions Seven Sisters.

― Rod, Monday, 15 December 2003 10:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Nick K took mine. I was astonished when I discovered Skinner wasn't saying "Milynne."

However I think NickB must win for his #493!!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 15 December 2003 10:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Tooting Broadway station is mentioned in the Kitchens of Distinction's superb Death of Cool album - apologies if someone else has come up with that, i couldn't be arsed to read the whole page.

― Muthafunsta, Monday, 15 December 2003 10:54 (twenty-one years ago)

"Baker Street" - Gerry Rafferty
"Mornington Crescent" - My Life Story

― ailsa (ailsa), Monday, 15 December 2003 11:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Holborn, Lancaster Gate or Tottenham Court Road

Hey! I live halfway between Holborn and Tottenham Court Road! (Though granted, I've yet to release a song about either.)

Oh, and hang on, there's a Hanoi Rocks reference to Tooting Bec!

― HRH Queen Kate (kate), Monday, 15 December 2003 11:44 (twenty-one years ago)

St. Etienne once again (surprise, surprise)
She's on the phone - Leicester Square

― schmoo, Monday, 15 December 2003 13:33 (twenty-one years ago)

"Doin' the Lambeth North - OI!"

Only kidding...,

― mathias, Wednesday, 17 December 2003 11:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Has no one mentioned Ian Dury's "What A Waste" yet? I'm shocked.

"I could be the ticket man at Fulham Broadway station, what a waste"

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Wednesday, 17 December 2003 22:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Play with Fire by the Stones again...

"Your mother she's an heiress got a block in ST. JOHN'S WOOD..."

Does that count?

― Lexicon, Thursday, 18 December 2003 09:05 (twenty-one years ago)

Top 500 London tube stops named after footballers:

500. Gordon Hill
499. errrr.......

― James Ball (James Ball), Thursday, 18 December 2003 13:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Gordon Bank(s)

― LondonLee (LondonLee), Thursday, 18 December 2003 14:39 (twenty-one years ago)

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