Question Big Ben Bongs Backup

For those outside the UK, it may/may not have come to your attention that the bells within Elizabeth Tower (i.e. Westminster Clock Tower - the big pointy thing with a clock on adjacent to Parliament), including The Great Bell (aka Big Ben) are going to be silenced for most of the next four years to allow essential maintenance to take place (and protect the hearing of the contractors!)

Needless to say, this has caused a bit of a fuss - not only for the lack of chimes for those in the vicinity of the clock tower, but also on some national radio stations, the chimes precede some news bulletins - leading to speculation on what they should be replaced with. The BBC (boringly) have opted for a recording of the chimes, claiming nothing else has the same gravitas...

...but I'm sure we can collectively suggest some other (un)suitable replacements

To get you started:

• Liz Windsor singing the chimes
• Jeremy Hardy singing the chimes (note: comedian noted for his inability to hold a tune)
• Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life (chorus)
• The Galaxy Song (final few lines)
• 1812 Overture (Finale - orchestra + brass band + canon + carillon)
• Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (Fourth Movement)
• The Anacreontic Song

(Bonus points for those who know the irony of the last two!)

The cloister bells from The TARDIS, since doesn't it seem like all news lately is of the universally bad type?

I'm not sure what they should actually use, but a really bad idea would be the Star Spangled Banner.

I don't know why they can't just, you know, spread a few speakers around (so none needs to be really loud) playing a recording of the bell. It should cost only a small fraction of the renovations of the tower, and I bet that if they didn't announce it to the newspapers it would take a while for people to notice the difference.

Sir Lee wrote: I don't know why they can't just, you know, spread a few speakers around (so none needs to be really loud) playing a recording of the bell. It should cost only a small fraction of the renovations of the tower, and I bet that if they didn't announce it to the newspapers it would take a while for people to notice the difference.

But once somebody did notice, there would be riots. It's the principle of the thing.

I'm fond of the opening notes to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto 1 myself.
William Tell Overture Finale
MORTAL KOMBAT!
The Presto part of Vivaldi's Summer
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor

the unmistakable signature opening bass guitar riff from "Smoke on the Water" would be a nice attention-getting replacement for bongs.

Someone named Clive saying "Bong."

What about The Machine that goes "Bing" ?

The brass line from "Fighting Trousers" by Professor Elemental.

Backing it up Brummie style:"Pass the Dutchie"

@mittfh: "The Anacreontic Song"? Well played, sir!

You do realize that "Big Ben Bongs" sounds like a brand name from a Cheech and Chong movie ....

The “Colonel Bogey March” along with the orchestral counter march... I know the words to it, so if I were to visit I could sing along (well the WWII version of the lyrics)...

elrodw wrote: You do realize that "Big Ben Bongs" sounds like a brand name from a Cheech and Chong movie ....

Hit me man, lets watch it all go up in smoke.

For those that missed the irony in my original post, here's the Anacreontic Song - the club song of a bunch of 18th century amateur musicians in London, who held their meetings at the local pub (after membership outgrew the capacity of the coffee house where the club originated). You're probably more familiar with a later set of lyrics...



As for the Beethoven piece...

Colonel Hathi's March?

Well they could just use Yankee Doodle Dandy. Yankee Doodle Dandy

well they could play either "God Save The Queen" by the sex pistols or "Bohemian Rhapsody" by queen lol