Real places mentioned in songs.

[aimeeandbeatles]

I thought this would be an interesting topic because I was listening to the Petty song Dreamville which references several real places (e.g. Lillian's Music Store and Glen Springs Pool are both real places in Gainesville) so I thought it would be an interesting discussion.

I don't really think generic ones would be good for discussion (e.g. Petty's "Drivin' Down to Georgia" ... Thats pretty generic. Also really big cities I don't think count.)

I have several Petty examples. I will post more if I think of them:

-- Theres a Petty song called "Casa Dega," which is a misspelling (not sure if it was intentional) of Cassadega.
-- "American Girl" has a reference to 441, a highway that runs through Gainesville.
-- There's another Petty song called "Century City." He wrote it in the middle of a lawsuit. He was mad.
-- "Louisiana Rain" mentions a whole load of real places. But, interestingly, at a 1981 concert in Saratoga Springs where it was raining he, for some reason, changed the lyrics to "Saratoga Rain." Not kiddin'.
-- Another Petty song is called "Kings Road." I need to double-check Conversations but I'm pretty sure its a reference to a Kings Road in London with a lot of crazy clothes.
-- You won't hear this on the album version, but in some live renditions of "Spike," Petty would mention the Cypress Lounge, which is another Gainesville spot.
-- "A Mind With A Heart Of Its Own" (a rather silly song) mentions Brooker and Micanopy, I think are suburbs of Gainesville.

OK Im tired now so thats not a complete list but I will post more if its not derailed and locked by the time I come back.

 

[Ajidica]

Mireille Mathieu mentioned Athens in Akropolis, Adiu, along with Paris in multiple songs.

 

[_random_]

Beale Street in Memphis is a bit of a legend among Blues musicians mentioned in many songs. It's also where my sister found her dog. True story.

 

[azzaman333]

I'm not sure what there actually is to discuss here? It just seems like a thread where people name songs that mention places, which really doesn't have any discussion value at all.

 

[jtb1127]

In the Peter Gabriel song "Solbury Hill" the hill is in Somerset, England.

 

[Midnight-Blue766]

Link to video.

 

[Heretic_Cata]

I'm not sure what there actually is to discuss here? It just seems like a thread where people name songs that mention places, which really doesn't have any discussion value at all.

Yea but it's vaguely related to tom petty; therefore, threadworthy !

Moderator Action: Trolling.

 

[azzaman333]

Yea but it's vaguely related to tom petty; therefore, threadworthy !

Oh of course, I should've realised. How silly of me.

Bliss N Eso's song Eye Of The Storm mentions St Kilda beach.

Am I doing it right?

Moderator Action: Trolling.

 

[Atticus]

There's plenty of things to discuss about the thread topic: Why does a certain musician mention a certain place? What does the place signify? Are some places mentioned more often than others, and why so?

If the thread has nothing to discuss, it will die out on it's own, unless of course people start to troll it*. It is very very simple: if you see no point in a thread, do not participate.

Moderator Action: Since you two should know, infractions. Next time with extra point.


*) Or someone is keeping it artificially alive, which can be tolerated better if it's on topic.

 

[Huayna Capac357]

In "How to Disappear Completely," Radiohead has the lyric "I walk through walls, I float down the Liffey." The river is referenced in James Joyce's Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake, but those don't appear to have any connection to the song. The vowels separated by a non-hard consonant sound good with the whole atmospheric nature of Thom Yorke's singing in the song, though.

 

[sophie]

Jerry Garcia's Mission in the Rain is a song about the mission district in San Francisco. Do I win a prize now?

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

I definitely get the prize
http://www.lyricsreg.com/lyrics/lucky+starr/Ive+Been+Everywhere+Australian+Version/

Or an American version
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/johnnycash/ivebeeneverywhere.html

 

[bombshoo]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_about_cities

* "Tulsa Time" by Don Williams
* "Tulsa Turnaround" by Kenny Rogers
* "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" by David Frizzell & Shelly West
* "The Day That She Left Tulsa" by Wade Hayes
* "24 Hours From Tulsa" — Gene Pitney
* "Almost to Tulsa" – Buddy Charleton
* "Don't Let the Sun Set on You in Tulsa" - Waylon Jennings
* "Don't Make Me Come to Tulsa" - Wade Hayes
* "Halfway to Tulsa" – Larry Sparks
* "Last Trip to Tulsa" – Neil Young
* "Take Me Back to Oklahoma" – Chubby Checker
* "Take Me Back to Oklahoma" – Henson Cargill
* "Take Me Back to Tulsa" - Bob Wills
* "Tampa to Tulsa" – The Jayhawks
* "Tear Drops in Tulsa" – Mustang Mesa
* "Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa" - George Strait
* "Ten Miles to Tulsa" – Billy & Liza
* "Tulsa" – Rufus Wainwright
* "Tulsa" – Travis Linville and the Burtschi Brothers
* "Tulsa" – Wayne "The Train" Hancock
* "Tulsa Baby" –Dave Stogner
* "Tulsa County" –The Byrds
* "Tulsa Girl" - Dwight Twilley
* "Tulsa on a Saturday Night" – Benny Kubiak
* "Tulsa Queen" –Emmylou Harris
* "The Tulsa Shuffle" – The Tractors
* "Tulsa Sounds Like Trouble to Me" – Shawn Camp
* "Tulsa Straight Ahead" – Jimmy Hall
* "Tulsa Telephone Book" – Tom T. Hall

I wonder what's up with all the songs about Tulsa. It's a very mediocre place to inspire that many songs.

Anyways...best song about a city:


Link to video.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I forgot this one!

"Free Fallin'" has a lot of references to the San Fernando Valley.

In "Honey Bee" Petty claims to be both the king of Milwaukee and Pomona. I don't know if that counts though as the song is terribly silly.

"Mary Jane's Last Dance" was originally titled "Indiana Girl." 'Nuff said.

 

[sophie]

American Woman is about America

Do I win yet?

 

[holy king]

Link to video.

nope, i win.

 

[LightSpectra]

First things I thought of were London Calling and New York, New York.

 

[nonconformist]

"Rocketman" by Elton John mentions "Mars" and "space"

 

[rugbyLEAGUEfan]

Across the Universe mentions the universe

 

[_random_]

"Heaven is a Place on Earth" mentions Heaven and earth.