Towers of London (song)

"Towers of London"
Single by XTC
from the album Black Sea
Released10 October 1980 (1980-10-10)
Recorded1980
StudioTownhouse Studios, London
Genre
Length3:56
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)Andy Partridge
Producer(s)Steve Lillywhite
XTC singles chronology
"Generals and Majors"
(1980) 		"Towers of London"
(1980) 		"Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen"
(1982)

"Towers of London" is a song written by Andy Partridge of the English rock band XTC, released as the second single from their 1980 album Black Sea. It peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. The BBC-2 documentary XTC at the Manor featured the group recording the song in the studio.[3] Partridge later reflected that he may have been "subconsciously" trying to rewrite the Beatles' "Rain", desiring "clangorous guitars crashing together, and sort of droning." The night after John Lennon was killed, XTC played a gig at Liverpool, where they performed both "Towers of London" and "Rain" in tribute to the Beatle.[4]

  1. ^ Schabe, Patrick (27 October 2006). "The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul". PopMatters. 1980's Black Sea sold well on the album charts on the strength of its solid post-punk tracks, including "Respectable Street", "Towers of London", and "Generals and Majors".
  2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. XTC - Fossil Fuel: The XTC Singles 1977-1992 (1996) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Ramon, Gary (November 1990). "XTC Recording History". Record Collector. No. 130.
  4. ^ Bernhardt, Todd (16 December 2007). "Andy and Dave discuss 'Towers of London'". Chalkhills.