London Is the Place for Me

"London Is the Place for Me" is a 1948 calypso song by Aldwyn Roberts.[1] Roberts, under his calypso stage name Lord Kitchener, sang the first two stanzas of "London Is the Place for Me" on camera for reporters upon arrival at Tilbury Docks on the HMT Empire Windrush, and was recorded by Pathé News cameras.[2][3][4] Roberts, as Lord Kitchener, did not record the song until 1951. The song was also popularised during the 1950s (1954) by bandleader Edmundo Ros.

London Is the Place for Me is also the name of a series of compilation albums from Honest Jon's, featuring the music of young Black London in the years after World War II, particularly the music of West Indian and West African expatriates. As of 2019, the label had released eight titles in the series.

Cover versions

The song was covered by D Lime – featuring Tobago Crusoe for the 2014 film Paddington.

Paul Kelly used the song's music for "Shane Warne".[5]

See also

References
  1. Perry, Kennetta Hammond (2015). London Is the Place for Me: Black Britons, Citizenship, and the Politics of Race. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-0-19-024020-2. In June 1948, in homage of his impending arrival in Britain, Aldwyn Roberts began composing lyrics to 'London Is the Place for Me,' a calypso that eventually became part of the soundtrack chronicling the history of Caribbean migration to Britain
  2. Buettner, Elizabeth (2016). Europe After Empire: Decolonization, Society, and Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 255. ISBN 978-0-521-11386-1. More famously known as Lord Kitchener, he sang 'London is the Place for Me' on camera for reporters upon arrival
  3. Hodges, Hugh (Summer 2005). "Kitchener Invades England: The London Calypsos of Aldwyn Roberts". Wasafiri. 20 (45): 24–30. doi:10.1080/02690050508589960. S2CID 161586045.
  4. Spencer, Neil (16 June 2011). "Lord Kitchener steps off the Empire Windrush". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2016.
  5. Spencer, Doug (14 January 2012). "Paul Kelly: A to Z Recordings, plus related 'strangers ' - Part Two (revisited)". The Weekend Planet. Radio National. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
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