Old Kent Road - Cultural References

Cultural References

• After suffering an attack of amnesia, the main character of George Orwell's A Clergyman's Daughter, Dorothy Hare, finds herself alone on Old Kent Road.
• In A Little Princess Shirley Temple sings a song titled "Knocked 'em in the Old Kent Road" by Albert Chevalier, of which the chorus gives a good idea of the sort of language that was used in the area: NB Albert Chevalier was the original performer of this song. Music and Lyrics are by Charles Ingle.

"Wot cher!" all the neighbours cried
"'Oo yer gonna meet, Bill
'Ave yer bought the street, Bill"?
Laugh? — I fort I should've died
Knocked 'em in the Old Kent Road!

• The street is juxtaposed against Park Lane as a potential place of reference in Nick Hornby's book, High Fidelity.
• The street is mentioned multiple times in the Madness song "Calling Cards", a song about running an illegitimate business "in a sorting office in the Old Kent Road."
• The street is featured in the chorus of the Levellers' song "Cardboard Box City", which criticises the slow action on helping the homeless in London.
• In 1985, the BBC's Arena strand included a documentary about the Old Kent Road. It is available to watch on YouTube.
• It's also mentioned in the Girls Aloud song "Long Hot Summer," in the line "running down that Old Kent Road" and the Bananarama song "Middle of Nowhere," both written by production outfit Xenomania.
• "Old Kent Road" is the title of a song by London-based indie pop group Pipas.
• Old Kent Road is the name of an Australia hardcore punk band.