# And of course: Songs \*praising\* your state, province, or city. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 26, 2006, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357 "2006-05-26T19:18:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/1 "2006-05-26T19:18:02Z")
(From people who are from elsewhere, that is…) I always get a kick out of raging leftie folky [David Rovics](http://www.soundclick.com/pro/view/01/default.cfm?bandID=111310&content=music)’ ode to Vancouver, which compares my little burg favourably with New York City – because there are places you can smoke a bowl in public without fretting. The song is called _The Cannabis Cafe_, but the eponymous establishment is no more. \*I wish I was up in Vancouver At the Cannabis Cafe Smokin’ good old sinsemilla at the beginning of the day But here I am in New York City Hiding out in Central Park Getting kidnapped by the police Today sometime before dark\* …somehow I get the impression that Mr. Rovics doesn’t really “get” Vancouver, though. It still boggles my mind to hear such fantastic, incredibly _upbeat_ picking in concert with the line “I took the bus over to [Hastings Street](http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Canada/Province_of_British_Columbia/Vancouver-903183/Warnings_or_Dangers-Vancouver-Downtown_Eastside-BR-1.html)…” Dude! So who sings nice things about your home, and how do they strike you? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/2 "2006-05-26T19:44:39Z")
Cause I’m in love with a Jersey Girl… Tom Waits wrote it, Springsteen made it famous. ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/3 "2006-05-26T19:46:44Z")
[_Ukiah_](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/d/doobie+brothers/ukiah_20042540.html) by the Doobie Brothers. I think they nailed it – Ukiah is a nice city set in a beautiful location. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/4 "2006-05-26T20:18:43Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Mudd] (From people who are from elsewhere, that is…) I always get a kick out of raging leftie folky [David Rovics](http://www.soundclick.com/pro/view/01/default.cfm?bandID=111310&content=music)’ ode to Vancouver, which compares my little burg favourably with New York City – because there are places you can smoke a bowl in public without fretting. The song is called _The Cannabis Cafe_, but the eponymous establishment is no more. \*I wish I was up in Vancouver At the Cannabis Cafe Smokin’ good old sinsemilla at the beginning of the day But here I am in New York City Hiding out in Central Park Getting kidnapped by the police Today sometime before dark\* [/QUOTE] Rovics gets it very wrong. Well, it _has_ been a few years since I’ve smoked any herb, but I often smoked weed publically in NYC w/o fear of reprisal. Just take a walk down Avenue A in the East Village on summer nights and every other block you can smell the ol’ ganga scent. In fact, in Central Park, there’s a small glen in the rambles (just on the other side of the brigde over the boat pond, opposite Bethesda Fountain) where I spent many summer days tokin’. There are numerous songs that gush about New York, but the one that refers to the area nearest my actual apartment / home would most likely be “the 59th Street Bridge” song (a.k.a. the “Feelin’ Groovy” song) by Simon & Garfunkel. That’s about aten minutes walk from me. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/5 "2006-05-26T20:20:05Z")
One of the most famous of all is Kader & Ebb’s New York, New York. If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere It’s up to you, New York, New York ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/6 "2006-05-26T20:25:38Z")
Todd Snider’s [Rose City Blues](http://www.toddsnider.net/lyrics/rosecity.pdf) hits a soft spot for me. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/7 "2006-05-26T20:35:45Z")
[QUOTE=Annie-Xmas] One of the most famous of all is Kader & Ebb’s New York, New York. If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere It’s up to you, New York, New York [/QUOTE] True, though I prefer Billy Joel’s _New York State of Mind_. I grew up and moved out of NYC for a few years, I couldn’t stand it, I just had to move back. > [@](#): > > It comes down to reality > And it’s fine with me, 'cause I’ve let it slide > Don’t care if it’s Chinatown or on Riverside > I don’t have any reasons, I’ve left them all behind > I’m in a New York state of mind Of course there are many songs about New York City, this is just my favorite. Heck, if you count the theme song to _The Nanny_ there’s even one about my neighborhood within NYC 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/8 "2006-05-26T21:02:59Z")
Too numerous to count for San Francisco. My favorite I guess would be “San Franciscan Nights” by The Animals “Young child old child feel allright, on a warm San Franciscan night” ([Windows Media Link](http://www.content.loudeye.com/scripts/hurl.exe?clipid=009478801080006900&cid=600111)) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/9 "2006-05-26T21:04:00Z")
> **[Your State's Name Here - Lou and Peter Berryman (Lyrics)](http://www.guntheranderson.com/v/data/yourstat.htm)** ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/10 "2006-05-26T21:12:41Z")
[QUOTE=The New and Improved Superman] In Central Park, there’s a small glen in the rambles (just on the other side of the brigde over the boat pond, opposite Bethesda Fountain) where I spent many summer days tokin’. [/QUOTE] I think that’s exactly what the man meant by “hiding out in Central Park.” It’ feels a little different to walk into one of the little cafe/salon type places where you can get some coffee and snacks, settle into an easy chair, listen to some tunes, and spark up a joint and a conversation. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/11 "2006-05-27T02:00:00Z")
**My Kind of Town** **Chicago** **Lake Shore Drive** Can you guess where I am from? ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/12 "2006-05-27T02:26:11Z")
Gordon Lightfoot did “Alberta Bound”, but it’s less complimentary of the province and more derogatory of Toronto. [http://www.lightfoot.ca/albertab.htm](http://www.lightfoot.ca/albertab.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/13 "2006-05-27T02:37:13Z")
**The Guess Who** did ‘Running Back to Saskatoon’, which mentioned towns in Alberta and Saskatchewan: > [@](#): > > I been hangin’ around gas stations > I been learnin’ ‘bout tires > I been talkin’ to grease monkeys > I been workin’ on cars > Moose Jaw saw a few, Moosomin too > Runnin’ back to Saskatoon > Red Deer, Terrace and a Medicine Hat > Sing another prairie tune > Sing another prairie tune… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/14 "2006-05-27T03:19:37Z")
\*\*Ohio \*\* (“Why, Oh, Why, Oh, Why, Oh, Did I Ever Leave Ohio?”) from the show _Wonderful Town._ Someone should write a (long) song answering that question. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/15 "2006-05-27T03:22:48Z")
There’s a bunch of 'em, but Lynyrd Skynyrd says it best for me in _Sweet Home Alabama_: In Birmingham they love the governor Now we all did what we could do Now Watergate does not bother me Does your conscience bother you? Tell the truth Sweet home Alabama Where the skies are so blue Sweet Home Alabama Lord, I’m coming home to you Here I come Alabama ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/16 "2006-05-27T03:56:09Z")
Of course, **every** state has its official state song. In Florida, the state song is Stephen Foster’s “Old Folks at Home,” better known as “Swanee River” – [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old\_Folks\_At\_Home:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Folks_At_Home:) > [@](#): > > All up and down the whole creation, > Sadly I roam. > I’m a still a-longin’ for the old plantation, > Oh, for the old folks at home. Needless to say, our African-American Floridians don’t like it and some have tried to offer a new state song . . . but I’ve never heard one suggested that is nearly as catchy and hummable. So it is, so it goes. ---
**Author:** ![ACC\_Expat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@ACC\_Expat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ACC_Expat)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/17 "2006-05-27T04:11:07Z")
I’m not there now, but there’s only one place I call home, so > [@](#): > > You must forgive me > If I’m up and gone to Carolina in my mind ---
**Author:** ![Andrew\_Bug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andrew\_Bug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andrew_Bug)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/18 "2006-05-27T06:11:41Z")
Well, it’s not my home town but my girlfriend is from Boston and yet had never heard “Roadrunner” by Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers. [http://homepage.mac.com/ramonrempel/JoJo/songs/r/roadrunner.html#Anchor-The-11481](http://homepage.mac.com/ramonrempel/JoJo/songs/r/roadrunner.html#Anchor-The-11481) It has now become a hit with her and her family. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/19 "2006-05-27T11:51:43Z")
[QUOTE=Frostillicus] **My Kind of Town** **Chicago** **Lake Shore Drive** Can you guess where I am from? [/QUOTE] Hey, don’t forget _There’ll be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight_ ---
**Author:** ![as\_u\_wish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@as\_u\_wish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/as_u_wish)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/20 "2006-05-27T13:07:37Z")
The best of the best, though, is Lou and Peter Berryman’s _Your State’s Name Here_ , which includes the immortal lyrics–sung just as written– No sky could be deeper, no water so clear As back in the meadows of [Your state’s name here] I’m gonna go back, although I don’t know when There’s no other place like [Your state’s name again] And the chorus I’d love to wake up where [The state songbird] sings Where they manufacture [The names of some things] Like there on the bumper, a sticker so clear An I, then a heart, and then [Your state’s name here] Here are the full lyrics [Your State’s Name Here](http://www.guntheranderson.com/v/data/yourstat.htm) And their official site [Lou and Peter Berryman](http://members.aol.com/berrymanp/index.html) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357.md?page=2)