Songs with specific geographic references

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I'm working on putting together a radio show of songs with specific geographic references- not necessarily novelty songs- think Sufjan Stevens "Greetings From Michigan" or CCR's "Lodi." I'm sure there's bajillions of others. So, what are they?

― Andrew Gill, Thursday, 21 October 2004 17:18 (twenty-one years ago)

"Ohio" by CSNY
"Tiahuanaco" by Killing Joke (it's in the Andes, i believe)
"New York City" by the Cult (and about nine-dozen other bands)
"London" by the Smiths
"La Grange" by ZZ Top
"Portobello" by the Lords of the New Church
"The Lebannon" by the Human League
"Africa" by Toto

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 21 October 2004 17:43 (twenty-one years ago)

Map Ref whatever:whatever.

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 21 October 2004 17:45 (twenty-one years ago)

There are a few in this thread also: Local references in music

although it's a slightly difrnt premise.

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 21 October 2004 17:51 (twenty-one years ago)

"Waterloo Sunset" - The Kinks
"An Englishman in New York" - St*ng
"London Sound" - Freestylers
"Big Sur" - The Thr*lls

― Wooden (Wooden), Thursday, 21 October 2004 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

"Tallahassee Lassie" (can't remember who did that one, but hometown represent!)
Savage Republic - "Attempted Coup: Madagascar", "Ivory Coast", and "Lebanon 2000"
The Future Sound of London - "Papua New Guinea"
Siouxsie and the Banshees - "Israel"
This Heat - "Radio Prague"
OMD - "Maid of Orleans"
The Mekons - "Thee Old Trip to Jerusalem"

― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Thursday, 21 October 2004 18:57 (twenty-one years ago)

For the oldies portion of the show, Chuck Berry's "Memphis," Fats Domino's "Walkin' to New Orleans," and Wilbert Harrison's "Kansas City."

Slightly newer, loads of Mississippi references in "Ode to Billy Joe." (I think that's mentioned in the other thread.)

Minutemen, "Viet Nam" and "History Lesson Pt. 2" (drove up from Pedro, etc.)

Bill Monroe, "Tennessee Blues" and "Just a Song of Old Kentucky"

More cosmic: Hendrix, "Third Stone from the Sun"

Dozens of John Fahey songs, incl. "Orinda-Moraga," "Knoxville Blues," "The Portland Cement Factory at Monolith California" (you could also use the Cul de Sac version of that), "Lava on Waikiki," "Knott's Berry Farm Molly"...

Camper van Beethoven, "The History of Utah"

...this category is too broad.

― William Crump (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 21 October 2004 19:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Blind Idiot God, "Dubbing in the Sinai"
Elvis Costello, "I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea"
Bad Brains, "Banned in DC"
X, "Los Angeles"

― William Crump (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 21 October 2004 19:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Mythical places: The Who, "Armenia City in the Sky"; Donovan, "Atlantis"

― William Crump (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 21 October 2004 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

You're right, Crump. It's too broad. I was thinking more along the lines of songs that not only reference specific places, but try to say something about that place or relate to the mood of that place.

Does that help?

― Andrew Gill (Mr Flood), Thursday, 21 October 2004 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Practically every Fiery Furnaces song.

― mike a, Thursday, 21 October 2004 20:05 (twenty-one years ago)

The Modern Lovers make a number of specific references to boston, like the stop n shop, route 128 when it's cold outside. Kinda makes me in love with boston (from afar.) No wonder it didn't work when Joan Jett tried to cover Roadrunner with a NYC bent.

― jennifer L, Thursday, 21 October 2004 20:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Journey - "Lights" (in reference to San Francisco, of course)

― Avi (Avi), Thursday, 21 October 2004 20:07 (twenty-one years ago)

frank black - los angeles

― 6335, Thursday, 21 October 2004 20:14 (twenty-one years ago)

An all-SoCal show! Frank Black, X, Doors "LA Woman," Zappa "San Ber'dino"... uh, what else?

― William Crump (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 21 October 2004 20:25 (twenty-one years ago)

You can't beat "It's Grim Up North"

― Maxwell von Bismarck (maxwell von bismarck), Thursday, 21 October 2004 22:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Fly-over country, east to west, the pilot (who just learned of his pay cut) pretty damn crocked

“Philadelphia Freedom”
“Cleveland Rocks”
"Girl from Cincinnati"
“Detroit Rock City”
"East St. Louis Too-da-loo"
"Kansas City"
"Tulsa Time"
“Okie from Muskogee”
“Luchenbach, Texas”
“By the Time I Get to Phoenix”
“Viva Las Vegas”
“Coeur D’Alene”

For return passage, see “Boulder to Birmingham”

― mottdeterre (mottdeterre), Thursday, 21 October 2004 23:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Mountain Goats own this thread

― mattp, Friday, 22 October 2004 01:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Do you know the way to San Jose. Ooohhohhohhhooo. Dionne Warwick/Burt Bacharach.
Sinead O'Connor-Jerusalem

― cs appleby (cs appleby), Friday, 22 October 2004 03:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Wow. Andrew Gill from Gang of Four? Am I wrong?

― cs appleby (cs appleby), Friday, 22 October 2004 04:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Doc Watson - Kinfolk in Carolina
Ray Charles - Georgia
Standells - Dirty Water (Boston version)
Inmates - Dirty Water (London Version)
Beachboys - California Girls
Johnny Cash - I've Been Everywhere
Route 66 - I like the Asleep At The Wheel version

― jim wentworth (wench), Friday, 22 October 2004 04:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Michelle Shocked - Anchorage
Billy Bragg - Ontario, Quebec and Me
The Smiths - London (actually, there are tonnes of Smiths/Morrissey songs that would fit)
The Beautiful South - Rotterdam (Or Anywhere)
The Clientele - Emptily Through Holloway
Red House Painters - Brockwell Park; Michigan; New Jersey
A Tribe Called Quest - I Left My Wallet in El Segundo

― grapeshine (grapeshine), Friday, 22 October 2004 06:08 (twenty-one years ago)

You better go through John Cale's discography. Or just straight to "Maps of the world" from his collab with Bob Neuwirth.

― the todster (the todster), Friday, 22 October 2004 06:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, definitely agree about The Mountain Goats. Hell, I live about two or three miles from "Southwood Plantation Road" and pass by it every weekday. It's a pretty lush canopy road with shacks, small houses, farms, and a slaughterhouse. The southern half of it will turn into a semi-suburban development over the next several years though as St. Joe/Arvida (largest private landowner in Florida) continues to turn empty pastures on my side of Tallahassee into a full-fledged quaint American dream community that looks like what would happen if Charleston, South Carolina moved inland.

― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 23 October 2004 14:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Doesn't Mark Robinson (of Unrest/Air Miami/Flin Flon/Teenbeat Records fame) use a lot of cities and towns in his song titles?

― Ian Moraine (Eastern Mantra), Saturday, 23 October 2004 14:32 (twenty-one years ago)

24 hours from Tulsa

― papa november (papa november), Saturday, 23 October 2004 14:57 (twenty-one years ago)

"Promised Land," the Chuck Berry song also blindingly covered by Elvis P.

Berry's autobiography tells of his difficulty in getting hold of a road map to chart his protagonist's journey from (my hometown of) Norfolk, Va., to Hollywood. His prison warders were afraid he was plotting an escape.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Sunday, 24 October 2004 09:00 (twenty-one years ago)

Stan Getz- "Girl from Impanema"
John Prine- "Paradise" (Muhlenburg County, Kentucky)
The Zombies- "Beechwood Park" (Is this a real place?)
Spoon- "Chicago at Night"
Jonathan Richman- "Rooming House on Venice beach" and "California Desert Party"
The Fugs- "Slum Goddess from the Lower East Side"
The 6ths- "San Diego Zoo"
Olivia TRemor Control- California Demise
Porch Ghouls- Mississippi River Payday"
Procol Harum- "Homburg"
Lyle Lovett- "I've been to Memphis"
Arab on Radar- "Attack on Tijuana"
The Hollies- "Indiana Wants Me" and "The Night Chicago Died"
Pavement- "Zurich is stained"
Ex-Models- "Which way to Disneyland"
Wilco- "Via Chicago"
Does the Oxes "China, China, China" count?

― rebecca s (rebecca S), Sunday, 24 October 2004 23:58 (twenty-one years ago)

The Clash - London Calling
The Flying Burrito Brothers - Sin City (Los Angeles)
Gram Parsons - Big Mouth Blues (New York)
Gram Parsons - Streets of Baltimore

― sixteenblue (sixteenblue19), Monday, 25 October 2004 00:21 (twenty-one years ago)

The Newcastle Song - Bob Hudson

― papa november (papa november), Monday, 25 October 2004 01:10 (twenty-one years ago)

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