På en opsamlingsplade faldt jeg over Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros’ sang Willesden to Cricklewood, og nu har den sat sig fast. Det gør ikke noget, for det er en rigtig god sang, en rigtig god melodi. Jeg tror, Dan Turéll ville have elsket denne sang og dens londonske lokalkolorit. Her er hverdagen og storbyen sanselig, poesien konkret, som Onkel Danny ville have elsket det. Med sin slæbende og dog swingende rytme illuderer sangen ganske godt den dejlige aktivitet det er at gå rundt i storbyen. Man får lyst til at følge Joes invitation og blive “a mad man on the street”, hvis det ellers havde været muligt…
From Willesden to Cricklewood
I tell you the town looked good
Walking lonely avenues
Where rhinestone cowboys find the blues
There’s people in doing their thing
Gettin’ all the mozzarella in
And the passing time and phassing moons
Words flying in cloudy rooms
Plastic bags, milk and eggs
The poor old crone’s got aching legs
How I would love to speak
To everybody on the street
Just for once to break the rules
I know it would be so cool
From Willesden to Cricklewood
From Willesden to Cricklewood
From Willesden to Cricklewood
Come with me and be no good
Be a mad man on the street
Sing something out like reet petite
Let’s hip-hop at traffic lights
Ten thumbs up and smilin’ bright
Crossing all the great divides
Color, age and heavy vibes
From Willesden to Cricklewood
I tell you the town looked good
From Willesden to Cricklewood
From Willesden to Cricklewood
Oh, let’s go down to Al Rashid’s
All the Aussie lagers are on me
Now you’ve got the Absinthe out
Your old mother, she wants a stout
From Willesden to Cricklewood
As I went it all looked good
Thought about my babies grown
Thought about going home
Thought about what’s done is done
We’re alive and that’s the one
From Willesden to Cricklewood
From Willesden to Cricklewood
Oh, let’s go down to Al Rashid’s
All the Aussie lagers are on me
Now you’ve got the Absinthe out
Your old mother, she wants a stout
From Willesden to Cricklewood
I tell you the town looked good
From Willesden to Cricklewood
From Willesden to Cricklewood
Hvorfor forekommer flere linjer sÃ¥ bekendte? NÃ¥, det mÃ¥ jo komme pÃ¥ et eller andet tidspunkt; nu har jeg foreløbigt lagt”Cricklewood Green” med Ten Years After pÃ¥, og Alvin Lee giver den i baggrunden i bedste British Blues tradition.