The SoL Page
During the last two years I have collected a lot of things about Ralph McTell: from articles of journals to comments written by musical critics, from thoughts spoken by his colleagues, like Al Stewart, to essays of his fans. Beh!! We can say that I have a reasonable culture about him, about his art and about his songs. In two years of work for his Italian website, I have known the career of a man, that it’s started almost together my birth and that just today, after many years, is in full swing.
The song, that has marked the begin of his sparkling career, even if we remember him not only for this song, is the famous Streets of London and with this song, that I, as many people, have known Ralph McTell. In particular I was attracted by the title, so that I started to listen to it over and over again. The words with passionate and melodious voice of Ralph let me dream:
“Let me take you by the hand
And lead you through the streets of London
I’ll show you something to make you change your mind”.
These words let me dream London, English people, his way of life ….. I closed my eyes …… and I was there.
Only after, reading one of his autobiography I have discovered that the song that made me a lot of dreams about London, in reality it was written by Ralph in France and in particular in Paris.
McTell writes (Summer Lighting p. 308): ”…. we were stunned to learn after a few nights elsewhere that one of them had frozen to death on the streets the previous night. It was perhaps a couple of days later, turning left out of the hotel, that I noticed a pile of snow about a metre high begin to move.
Now I knew the real reason of the song.
Then I have listened to the song paying my attention about all words. It tells about alone people, that live on the road, carrying their home in two carrier bags and without time to make a pause for talking with somebody. What upsetting thing!!!
So the words, that make me a lot of dreams, were only an invite to see the problems of unfortunate people, the people that live “differently” by us, of the people that hasn’t nothing outside herself.
Streets of London involves me for the pain, too, that I prove towards all unfortunate people.
I might define this song as one about compassion, giving to this word a large meaning, compassion that Ralph wanted to transmit all us with his piece, compassion that you feel in a different way whenever listening to this piece.
Of course a so beautiful and engaging song cannot fascinate only me, and thanks to a lot of research I have discovered that there are 200 covers and more.
This song has been performed by a lot of big artists like Beatles, Cliff Richard, Cilla Black, Harry Belafonte and by other less famous .
And more I know, that, thanks an interview of Ralph, it is the song chosen in a lot of folk clubs both in this time than in the past and that in some of this clubs there are turns to perform it. I believe that all this is very gratifying for an artist.
For all covers there are a lot of interpretations of it.
Some of they for me are wonderful like that Cilla Black and Dana Winner and accordingly the others are less captivating.
It’s been translated in different language, in fact I have a version in German, nevertheless the language is very hard, the song preserves its glamour without any alteration .
Also there are some versions only instrumental (1 - 2) and of course they are … wonderful.
Maybe Ralph didn’t know to compose a so beautiful song and he didn’t imagine that Streets of London, the masterpiece Streets of London, could change his life rendering him very famous.
On my opinion we must compare STREETS OF LONDON to those films, that are determine film-cult.
I believe that all this isn’t an exaggeration, but it is due towards Ralph.
However thank you Ralph for your masterpiece.
My personal collection of covers (updated on 09/02/2005):
?? - Streets of London
Albert Au
Anti-Nowhere League
Anti-Nowhere League (live)
Barbara Ray
Barron Knights
Bill Hall
Brassband Willebroek
Business, The
Cilla Black
Cleo Laine
Cliff Richard (Live)
Club Gladys
Dana Winner
Danny Doyle
David Canteini - Red Rock
De Gyldne Løver - Byens Gader
Deborah Gibson
Derren Raser
DJ Didi feat. Dr. Nick & JestersTear
Eddy Belly Sings
Evans and Doherty
Fade 2 Black
Fivepenny Piece
Fred Holstein
Fureys
Gerard Cox - Donker London
Gerry O'Kane
Gitarre
Glen Campbell
Harry Belafonte
Heart Of England Jazz Band
Houghton Weavers
Jasmine Bonnin - Strassen unserer stadt
Jim Brannigan
John Allan Cameron
John Williams
Kassierer
Kat
Keltics
Klaus Hallen
Liam Clancy
Marcella McCrae
Marion Martin
Martin Lane
Mary Hopkins
McDermott, John
McGinty
Miller's Jug
No stress III
Norske Viseperler - Finn Kalvik - En Tur Rundt I Byen
Oona
Paddy Schmidt
Paddy Taff
Peter Yeates
Phil Coulter
Red, White & Blue
René Egles
Roger Whittaker
Roger Whittaker (live)
Ryan's Fancy
Sam Hui
Scaffel Pike
Sex Pistols
Sinead O'Connor
The Johnstons
The flower of romance
The Ray Hamilton Ballroom Orchestra
The Stars Unlimited Singers
Tommy Makem - Liam Clancy
Tony Rice
Unbenkannter Kunstler
Val Doonican
Vierus
Wyndnwyre
Stef Meeder - Apres Toi
Alexandros
Tomek Opoka - Streets of London (instrumental)