"London Pride" is a patriotic song written and composed by Noël Coward during

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

in World War II.

Composition

Coward wrote "London Pride" in the spring of 1941, during

. According to his own account, he was sitting on a seat on a platform in

Paddington station Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great ...

, watching Londoners going about their business quite unfazed by the broken glass scattered around from the station's roof damaged by the previous night's bombing: in a moment of patriotic pride, he said that suddenly he recalled an old English folk song which had been apparently appropriated by the Germans for their national anthem, and it occurred to him that he could reclaim the melody in a new song. The song started in his head there and then and was finished in a few days. In fact the tune of the German national anthem was composed by Joseph Haydn in 1797 in a different context. The song has six verses. The opening lines, repeated three times within the song, are: Saxifraga x urbium 02

The flower mentioned is ''Saxifraga'' × ''urbium'', a perennial garden flowering plant historically known as London pride, which was said to have rapidly colonised the bombed sites of the Blitz. The song was intended to raise Londoners' spirits during that time, and was also circulated after the July 2005 bombings.

Melody

Coward acknowledged one of the traditional cries of London ("Won't You Buy My Sweet-Blooming Lavender", also used in the musical '' Oliver'') as the starting-point for the tune, but he also pointed out the similarity with " Deutschland über alles", which he claimed was based on the same tune. It contrasts with many of the major-key, grandiose melodies used to celebrate patriotism, including

God Save The King "God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, b ...

and

Land of Hope and Glory "Land of Hope and Glory" is a British patriotic song, with music by Edward Elgar written in 1901 and lyrics by A. C. Benson later added in 1902. Composition The music to which the words of the refrain 'Land of Hope and Glory, &c' below ar ...

. Its orchestration also contrasts with those anthems, employing muted strings and a celeste, rather than a pipe organ and a choir.

Usage

The music is used in the film ''

This Happy Breed ''This Happy Breed'' is a play by Noël Coward. It was written in 1939 but, because of the outbreak of World War II, it was not staged until 1942, when it was performed on alternating nights with another Coward play, '' Present Laughter''. The ...

'', including the closing titles. The song has since been covered by artists such as Gracie Fields, Cleo Laine, and Donald Peers. Julie Andrews sang the song on her 1957 debut album, ''The Lass with the Delicate Air''. Damon Albarn and Michael Nyman recorded the song in 1998 for the '' Twentieth-Century Blues: The Songs of Noel Coward''

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

. To mark the 100th anniversary of Noël Coward's birth,

Jeremy Irons Jeremy John Irons (; born 19 September 1948) is an English actor and activist. After receiving classical training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, Irons began his acting career on stage in 1969 and has appeared in many West End theatre ...

sang a selection of his songs at the 1999

Last Night of the Proms The BBC Proms or Proms, formally named the Henry Wood Promenade Concerts Presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert H ...

held at the Royal Albert Hall in London, ending with "London Pride"."Last Night of the Proms 1999"
BBC. Retrieved 26 June 2015 In May 2015,

Alexander Armstrong Alexander Henry Fenwick Armstrong (born 2 March 1970) is an English actor, comedian, radio personality, television presenter and singer. He is the host of the BBC One game show '' Pointless'', as well as the morning show on Classic FM. He is ...

performed the song at VE Day 70: A Party to Remember at

Horse Guards Parade Horse Guards Parade is a large parade ground off Whitehall in central London (at grid reference ). It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday, and the Beating Retreat. H ...

in London.VE Day Concert Katherine Jenkins, Pixie Lott, Status Quo Lead Party at The Standard
Retrieved 11 May 2015

References

External links

*
Words of the song
{{authority control 1941 songs Songs written by Noël Coward Songs about London Songs about flowers