London Bridge
The other day I caught the end of the video for the awful London Bridge by Fergie and I noticed that Fergie and her crew were dancing around in front of London’s most famous bridge and the image of a million postcards: Tower Bridge.
It was clear that Fergie had fallen for the same trick that Londoners have been playing on Americans for years, confusing them between the grand Tower Bridge and its much more boring neighbor London Bridge.
The most famous example is that of Robert P. McCulloch, American entrepreneur and owner of McCulloch Oil, who in 1968 paid $2,460,000 to have the then-collapsing London Bridge dismantled and shipped right across the world to be rebuilt in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. He later claimed it not to be true, but everyone knows that he thought he was buying Tower Bridge. Numpty.
Although clearly not much to look at, London Bridge is the second most popular tourist destination in the state of Arizona. For more info see the previous GgSs coverage of Tower Bridge and Wikipedia for London Bridge.
Thanks: Ben & Shea MarshaLL
In the “making of” for that video, Fergie says she knows which bridge is which, but that they used Tower Bridge because of the phony association in people’s minds.
I recently visited London for the first time. I didn’t realize people confused the Tower Bridge with the London Bridge. I did know that London Bridge tended to be more famous via word of mouth but had no idea what it looked like.
Here’s the most interesting perspective I could get of it… it’s a rather bland bridge.
London Bridge
Wait, I’m confused…
So the London Bridge was sent to Arizona, yet you say it is in London? Are their two London Bridges? One in Arizona and one in London?
Adam, in a video that mostly features Fergie giving people lapdances I doubt that the director was that deep! I’m sure once they’d realised the mistake they’d say something like that to cover it up
John - Yes, that is exactly the case. The bridge was collapsing so London flogged it to the oil tycoon and used the money towards a better London bridge, which is the one still standing today.
What is a “Numpty”?
Sorry Cyre, accidentally used a colloquialism there! Numpty is well defined on Urban Dictionary.
The shadows in the London pictures are amazing. The photos must have been taken very early on a winter’s morning.
Got a picture of London Bridge from when I was in London but it’s in JPG format and I don’t think I can post it here in any way. Ideas? Maybe it’s not worth it, it is a boring bridge.
Considering the song is about something much dirtier than an actual bridge, one would assume they didn’t really put that much thought into it.
@Peter: If you look back through the posts, you will find that this imagery dates from the end of January this year. The angle of the shadows suggest that it would have been mid-morning when it was taken (using the shadows as a sun dial)
Never mind the confusion over which bridge is which - who’s Fergie? I’m thinking Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, or am I just being a numpty?
There have been several incarnations of London Bridge. The Romans built one, but it was lost by medieval times. The medieval bridge is the subject of the song, and had houses built across it; it was the only bridge across the Thames until the 1700s. The “old” London Bridge was replaced by the bridge that was dismantled and sent to Arizona, which was replaced around 1970 by the current (admittedly rather dull) bridge (although it’s got interesting lighting at night). Wikipedia has, naturally, the full story.
Peter: I’m pretty sure the photos of London were taken around noon on Sunday, 29th January, 2006, based on shadow length and angle on the BT Tower, the crowds in Trafalgar Square, and other miscellaneous evidence.
wat actually happened
i dunno im confused too it is a bit silly to do that isnt it?
front pics