Best Songs Ever

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“Streets of London” is a song written by Ralph McTell. It was first recorded for McTell’s 1969 album Spiral Staircase but was not released in the United Kingdom as a single until 1974. It was his greatest commercial success, reaching number two in the UK singles chart, at one point selling 90,000 copies a day and winning him the Ivor Novello Award and a Silver disc for record sales. The song was inspired by McTell’s experiences busking and hitchhiking throughout Europe, especially in London and Paris; although the individual stories are taken from Parisians, London is chosen for its arguably more sonorous name. The song contrasts the common problems of everyday people with those of the homeless, lonely, elderly, ignored and forgotten members of society. McTell left the song... Read on...