# 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:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/21 "2006-05-27T15:54:41Z")
Well, nothin’ could be finer than to be in Carolina in the moooooooornin’! (Doesn’t quite specify which one, though, I’m afraid.) And then we Carolina girls, best in the world - you’re so fine, girl you’re one of a kind! Sweet Carolina girl! Okay, so all our Carolina songs kinda suck, but at least they’re complimentary. ---
**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 27, 2006, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/22 "2006-05-27T16:12:01Z")
James Taylor wrote “Carolina in my Mind,” and his brother Livingston wrote “Carolina Day.” And of course there’s “Georgia on my Mind.” ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/23 "2006-05-27T17:49:09Z")
Cause I love that Dirty Water Ah, Boston, you’re my town. ---
**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, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/24 "2006-05-27T17:53:42Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] **The Guess Who** did ‘Running Back to Saskatoon’, which mentioned towns in Alberta and Saskatchewan: [/QUOTE] And BC. Terrace is in BC. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/25 "2006-05-27T18:03:23Z")
I have an example of fake sincerity… there seemed to be a market in the '60s for gimmick records for radio stations to give away. That’s why I have one sponsored by CKOC in Hamilton, Ontario, called “Wonderful Town.” Some anonymous jingle singers went on for a couple of minutes about attractions around the area, and getting the call letters in where they could. Some years later, another record came out on another label, called “Wonderful Town” by the same people, and it’s about Brantford, Ontario, whose station is CKPC. There must be many others, but I’ve only heard those two. They’re probably the only songs about Hamilton and Brantford. _Wonderful town, wonderful people Places to go, things to see My home is \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, That’s my wonderful town!_ ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/26 "2006-05-27T20:20:40Z")
Journey’s _Don’t Stop Believing_ references a midnight train in South Detroit. No train in South Detroit runs at midnight. Hell, there’s no _train_ in South Detroit. ---
**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, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/27 "2006-05-27T23:15:50Z")
I believe it just references South Detroit as the place where the guy was born and raised. Just took a midnight train going anywhere - doesn’t mention from or to where. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2006, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/28 "2006-05-28T00:02:50Z")
“Fightin’ Texas Aggie” by Robert Earl Keen, while about the students of Texas A&M rather than the town of College Station itself, does mention lots of locations near and dear to the College Station resident and your typical Texas Aggie, such as Heldenfels Hall (Where EVERYONE ends up takign at least one 8AM class, if not more), the Dixie Chicken (a bar across the street from campus, complete with a wooden porch and western-style swinging doors, Taco Cabana (A Mexican resteraunt known for being cheap and always open), Bonfire, and parking tickets which double in number every time the chorus repeats. [QUOTE=Robert Earl Keen] Well it’s 7:45 on Friday morning, He just crawled outta bed. He stayed too long at the Chicken again And he’s got an achin’ head. He’s got an 8-o’clock at Heldenfels His prof speaks Japanese. Something on beer and Mr. Bills Now he lives on bread and cheese. He’s a fightin’ Texas Aggie and he just don’t give a damn That he’s got 3 parking tickets And he’s on school pro again But the bonfire’s built And Varsity’s horns have been sawed right off his head, He’s a fightin’ Texas Aggie And he will be 'til he’s dead. [/QUOTE] You folks from Austin will be glad to note that your town gets mentioned once or twice in the song too ;D ---
**Author:** ![Walkabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/46a35a/32.png) [@Walkabout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walkabout)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2006, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/29 "2006-05-28T00:51:15Z")
Pretty much the only song we have that anyone’s ever heard of: _Almost Heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountain, Shenandoah River, Life is old there, older than the trees, Younger than the mountains, growing like the breeze._ ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2006, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/30 "2006-05-28T00:54:00Z")
O, there’s nothin’ halfway about the Iowa way we treat you When we treat you, which we may not do at all There’s an Iowa pride, a special chip-on-the-shoulder attitude We’ve never been without that we recall We can be cold as a falling thermometer in December When you ask about our weather in July And we’re so by gad stubborn we can stand touchin’noses For a week at a time and never see eye to eye **BUT WE’LL GIVE YOU OUR SHIRT. AND THE BACK TO GO WITH IT. IF YOUR CROP SHOULD HAPPEN TO DIE.** -Meredith Willson (b. Mason City, IA), from _The Music Man_ ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2006, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/31 "2006-05-28T01:24:04Z")
Two girls for every boy… Surf City, here we come! (Huntington Beach, California) ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2006, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/32 "2006-05-28T01:27:50Z")
[QUOTE=kath94] Two girls for every boy… Surf City, here we come! (Huntington Beach, California) [/QUOTE] I love it. My grandma taught school there in the late '20s, and it was nothing but oilfields, oilfields, oilfields. [Derricks](http://www.ci.huntington-beach.ca.us/Residents/community_profile/oil_derricks.jpg) as far as the eye could see. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2006, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357/33 "2006-05-29T05:59:57Z")
I’m not from Iowa, but as a fan of the Prairie Home Companion, I love Greg Brown’s Iowa Waltz. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-of-course-songs-praising-your-state-province-or-city/358357.md?page=1)