If you’re in any way interested in the Olympics, you might remember reading a while back that there’d been a mild controversy on the other side of the Atlantic about the use of The Clash’s classic song “London Calling” in some of the promotional videos for the games in London next year. (Since then, it’s turned out that The Clash are the least of London’s PR problems, but still.) Anyway, the whole thing has been playing on our mind for the last couple of weeks, until we realized what bugged us so much about it — the fact that “London Calling” is being used to promote anything. This isn’t unprecedented, of course — the song has been used in commercials before — but even so, it hasn’t joined the ranks of songs forever ruined by advertisements. As advertisers know only too well, once an image associates itself to music and lodges in your head, it’s damn near impossible to get rid of. And unfortunately, it’s too late for the songs we’ve collected after the jump — are there any that spring to mind for you?
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We’ve all been through it. Whether you’re the dumper or the dumpee, breaking up sucks — especially this time of year. After your friends have all gone home and that bottle of bourbon is definitely empty, at least music is there to ease your aching heart. Since we have officially exited the aughts, we figured we’d save you the trouble and compile a list of the top ten break-up songs from the past decade. So, without further ado, a five stages of grief-inspired mix, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Please use in moderation.
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The concept behind Peter Gabriel’s forthcoming album Scratch My Back is simple: The artist records his favorite tracks by everyone from David Bowie to Radiohead to The Magnetic Fields, and the musicians he has selected complete the song swap by covering a selection from Gabriel’s extensive songbook.
The list we’ve assembled here was inspired by a different kind of reciprocity — that is, of indie rockers showing appreciation for their own kind. So far, only one of these tributes has been mutual but that isn’t to say that we shouldn’t keep our fingers crossed for more. After the jump, check out ten indie acts covering 10 other indie acts’ singles. We think you’ll agree that imitation is the highest form of flattery.
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