LDN (3:12)

“LDN” (Internet slang for “London”) is a single by Lily Allen which was released in the UK on 25 September 2006. It was co-written by Future Cut, and features a sample of “Reggae Merengue”, written by Tommy McCook. The song was originally released on strictly limited edition 7” vinyl (500 copies) in the UK on 24 April 2006, accompanied by album track, “Knock ‘Em Out”, and was re-released in September following the huge success of Allen’s second single “Smile”. The re-release peaked at number six on the UK singles chart. The song is used in the soundtrack of the film The Nanny Diaries, and in the trailer for Happy-Go-Lucky. This song was #30 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. In 2008 the song was included in the soundtrack of the Mike Leigh film Happy-Go-Lucky. Allen claims that the inspiration for the song was William Wordsworth’s poem “Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802”.

“LDN” is Mobile Phone text language for London. The lyrics are of Lily describing a bicycle ride through her hometown of London. Set to a cheerful tune, the lyrics first appear to describe a lovely scene “A fella looking dapper, and he’s sittin’ with a slapper”, but follow up revealing a less glamorous reality, “Then I see it’s a pimp and his crack whore.”

Several episodes from “city life” are described, suggesting that things may not be what they seem: “When you look with your eyes everything seems nice, But if you look twice you can see it’s all lies.