Fact Finding Mission: Songs about places!

Big Sur - The Beach Boys
"Lincoln Nabraska is so much further than Tuono Alaska" - Number One Cup

Luckenbach, Texas - Waylon Jennings

i love paris/hong kong - screamin' jay hawkins

Yes! Best song about places = Saint Etienne's 'Girl VII'. The lyrics go: "Primrose Hill, Staten Island, Chalk Farm, Massif Central, Gospel Oak, Sao Paolo, Boston Manor, Costa Rica, Arnos Grove, San Clemente, Tufnell Park, Gracetown, York Way, Videoton, Clerkenwell, Portobello, Maida Vale, Old Ford, Valencia, Kennington, Galveston, Holland Park, Studamer, Dollis Hill, Fougeres, London Fields, Bratislava, Haggerston, Lavinia, Canonbury, Alice Springs, Tooting Graveney, Baffin Island, Pollard's Hill, Winnepeg, Plumstead Common, Hyderabad, Silvertown, Buffalo."

The Et roole.

(that should be deserving not undeserving in my original question)

New York New York, duh. Also He's On The Phone (going with the Et) mentions Leichester Square. Pop Musik, of course, with the "New York London Paris Munich" line.

Fuck you, jel.

"Hell, CA, Pop. 4", Love/Hate

Hmmm DavidM, I wasn't making any comment about your answer. I was pointing out an error in my original question where I typed undeserving by mistake. I liked your answer.

I think that was the funniest and most mysterious explosion of rancor I've ever seen in a thread.

Saint Etienne again, with a B-side the sound of which even I can't remember: "Highgate Road Incident".

I love the city-by-city shout-outs in Hamilton Bohannon's "Disco Stomp".

I always find it amusing when songs refer in their titles to places that are totally irrelevant to their content. I mean, The Supernaturals' "Sheffield Song (I Love Her More Than I Love You)"? Why?

And Momus whispering about "the night train back to Cheam" on "The Loneliness Of Lift Music" as though he's discovered his own antithesis.

Songs named for countries: "Zimbabwe" (Miles Davis), "Holiday in Cambodia" (Dead Kennedys), ""Flowers of Guatemala" (REM), "Ronnie, Talk to Russia" (Prince), "Hungary Like the Wolf" (Duran Duran), "I'm So Bored with the USA" (Clash), "Drinkin' Canada Dry" (Burrito Bros.), "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" (Wings), "Israel" (Siouxsie & the Banshees), "Iran" (Flock of Seagulls), "Mexican Radio" (Wall of Voodoo), "I'll Meet You in Poland, Baby" (Butthole Surfers), "Radio Ethiopia" (Patti Smith), "The Lebanon" (Human League), "Jive Turkey" (Ohio Players), "Greece" (Frankie Valli), "Black Korea" (Ice Cube)

At last! Riots on Spofforth Hill.

New York City by Demics, Losing California + The Marquee and The Moon by Sloan (name drops ever bar in Halifax almost), Via Chicago, California Stars - Wilco, They All Thought Canada by North of America, Arkansas Revisted by BJM, Blue Moon of Kentucky by Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, Ohio by Neil Young or The Dandy Warhols, Going Down to Liver Pool by Katrina and the Waves, Chapell Hill by Sonic Youth, Toronto #4 and Bobcaygeon both by The Tragically Hip, Come Back From San Fransico, Washington DC by Magnetic Fields, Bridge Came Tumbling Down (Vancouver), Sudbury Saturday Night, Bud The Spud (mentions TO and Montreal) and Margo's Cargo (Saint John's) by Stomping Tom Connors, Screenwriters Blues by Soul Coughing. Um thats all I can think of momentarily.

to add another New York, the one by the Sex Pistols.

...& another one by Nikki Sudden. & another "New York New York" by the Dictators. OK I'm off to do a Goog for the lyrics of "I've Been Everywhere" by Hank Snow, don't go anywhere!

Hey has anyone heard "At Long Last Timaru" by Rod McKuen? it's about the town where I was born. It's kind of sarcastic. Man Rod McKuen sucks!

OK here 'tis -

I've Been Everywhere
Written by: Geoff Mack;


I was totin my pack along the long dusty Winnamucka road
When along came a semi
with a high canvas covered load
If your goin' to Winnamucka, Mack with me you can ride
And so I climbed into the cab and then I setteled down inside< br> He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand
And I said, "Listen! I've traveled every road in this here land!"

I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breatherd the mountain air, man
Travel - I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere


I've been to:
Reno
Chicago
Fargo
Minnesota
Buffalo
Toronto
Winslow
Sarasota
Whichta
Tulsa
Ottowa
Oklahoma
Tampa
Panama
Mattua
LaPaloma
Bangor
Baltimore
Salvado
Amarillo
Tocapillo
Pocotello
Amperdllo

I'm a Killer
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breatherd the mountain air, man
Travel - I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere

I've been to:
Boston
Charleston
Dayton
Lousiana
Washington
Houston
Kingston
Texas (County)
Monterey
Fairaday
Santa Fe
Tollaperson
Glen Rock
Black Rock
Little Rock
Oskaloussa
Tennessee
Tinnesay
Chickapee
Spirit Lake
Grand Lake
Devil's Lake
Crater Lake

For Pete's Sake
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breatherd the mountain air, man
Travel - I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere

I've been to:
Louisville
Nashvill
Knoxville
Omerback
Shereville
Jacksonville
Waterville
Costa Rock
Richfield
Springfield
Bakersfield
Shreveport
Hakensack
Cadallic
Fond du Lac
Davenport
Idaho
Jellico
Argentina
Diamondtina
Pasadena
Catalina

See What I Mean
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breatherd the mountain air, man
Travel - I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere


I've been to:
Pittsburgh
Parkersburg
Gravelburg
Colorado
Ellisburg
Rexburg
Vicksburg
Eldorado
Larimore
Adimore
Habastockv Chadanocka
Shasta
Nebraska
Alaska
Opalacka
Baraboo
Waterloo
Kalamazoo
Kansas City
Souix City
Cedar City
Dodge City


What A Pity
I've been everywhere, man
I've been everywhere, man
Crossed the deserts bare, man
I've breatherd the mountain air, man Travel - I've had my share, man
I've been everywhere

(sorry , shoulda checked some of the spelling there...)

I have been to Texas..I haven't

Come on people, there was a band called They Might Be Giants who were once very important to you...

No they weren't.

By far I think the master of the Place song is The Mountain Goats. I think my favorite is "Going to Georgia".

A Georgia native informed me that "40 miles from Atlanta" really is... nowhere.

Someone mention Sheffield: Sex City by Pulp, please? If only cos it meantions Ecclesall in a remarkably heavy breathing phone sex tone. Can't remember the whole list of Sheffield locales, Ed would probably know them better than me. John Shuttleworth has some great ones too, in "You're Like Manchester". (You're my queen and like a certain town will always reign/RAIN AH YOU SEE??)

"But if you're like Manchester, don't you Cheatham me/ If I rush home to find you've been in Whalleys Range/I won't be pleased/ My bellvue of the world will become a Fallowfield/ But I know I can trust yer.. Cos you're like Manchester".

Oh yes. Oh dear. I dug out my CD and am more amused than I've been for no doubt weeks. A skoda? GIVE OVER!

"It's Grim Up North"

Of course. Although I always forget the real words and instead start singing the DFS advert over the top "Darley Dale Measham Droitwich" lalalala...

I was going to mention Sheffield: Sex City too but I've been pipped at the post (so to speak).

The Dull Towns Of England by Ricky Spontane is worth a mention ("...I've been to Worcester - I got more stares than smiles, I've been to Coventry - the same old brick for miles. Yes I have seen the dull towns of England, the dull towns of England...")

Plus Pimlico by David Devant ("Oh, we've all been to Pimlico, it's the kind of place lovers like to go and you don't, you will never know - it's got a lovely gallery")

Devant also did a song called Dolphin Square. Devant have a thing for that part of London.

Neil Young's "Long May You Run" has a lovely reference to a little village in northern Ontario. I believe it goes something like this:

Well, it was back in Blind River in 1962 When I last saw you alive But we missed that shift on the long decline Long may you run.

Also, the Daniel Lanois song "Where Will I Be", sung beautifully by Emmylou Harris on her albumn Wrecking Ball, has these lines that stick in the mind of anyone who lives in Canada's capital:

Met an Indian boy in Ottawa He laid me down on a bed of straw Said don't waste your breath Don't waste your heart Don't blister your heels Running in the dark

Songs about NYC: New York Telephone Conversation - Lou Reed
Which reminds me of New York City Man - also by Lou Reed, seems like all his songs are about New York for chrissake...
Livin For the City - Stevie Wonder
- In a New York Minute - Don Henley
Lennon's New York City
New York City Cops Aren't Too Smart - The Strokes
Um, AC/DC - Safe in New York City etc etc.

Obviously the number of rappers who give shout outs to various boroughs must be astronomical...Ethan?

sierra leone by (coconut rough?) was a tacky NZ classic. and one of my faves was philadelphia freedom by good ol elton john