# Obscure places in songs that you have been to. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 8, 2018, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638 "2018-10-08T02:53:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/21 "2018-10-08T09:44:50Z")
I’ve been to Wollongong. (I’ve been everywhere, man). I’ve been to Bali too. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/22 "2018-10-08T10:05:19Z")
\*When Black Friday comes I fly down to Muswellbrook Gonna strike all the big red words From my little black book Gonna do just what I please Gonna wear no socks and shoes With nothing to do but feed All the kangaroos\* On my last visit I took off shoes and socks in homage to Steely Dan, although they were compelled to pronounce it Muss-well-brook instead of the local Muscle-brook. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/23 "2018-10-08T10:42:00Z")
I’ve been to [Tom’s Diner](https://youtu.be/-26hsZqwveA). The place was lousy with _Seinfeld_ memorabilia, but I did find one Suzanne Vega article hung on the wall. > [@Smapti](#): > > I’ve been to Broadway in Seattle, which Sir Mix-a-Lot has a posse on. > > And I live in Olympia, which Rancid is headed back to. You’ve passed Sleater-Kinney Rd. many times, I’m sure. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/24 "2018-10-08T11:33:59Z")
Adding to the other Tom Waits mentions, there’s _Looks Like I’m Up Shit Creek Again_. I’ve paddled those waters on several occasions. > [@Colibri](#): > > I’ve been to Winslow, Arizona. I don’t recall if I ever stood on a corner there, and if I did I probably didn’t have seven women on my mind, like The Eagles in _Take It Easy_. A friend retired a few years ago. He packed up a car and drove around for a few years. He sent me a picture of him and his gf standing on that corner, which is marked in recognition of the song. He drove to Winslow specifically to stand on that corner. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/25 "2018-10-08T11:35:25Z")
I’ve landed on San Diego and Buzzards Bay, but not Comanche Skypark, from Jimmy Buffett’s _Volcano_. ---
**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:** [October 8, 2018, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/26 "2018-10-08T11:47:30Z")
I was walking through the streets of Soho in the rain and looked up to see I was standing in front of a restaurant called Lee Ho Fuk. I decided to eat there, but didn’t get the beef chow mein. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/27 "2018-10-08T12:05:52Z")
Hah! I got everyone beat! I’m posting this FROM said obscure spot. I’m heading for it on the 147 CTA Bus. The song is called _Lake Shore Drive_ and the line goes, “It starts up north from Hollywood, water on your driver’s side…” And I’m here… NOW!!! WOO HOO!!! Hollywood & LSD!!! COOL!!! Well, that was exciting. Now what? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/28 "2018-10-08T12:45:19Z")
In Frankie Valli’s “My Eyes Adore You” he sings, “walking home everyday over Barnegat Bridge and Bay.” I’m not sure which one he’s talking about. There are 3 major bridges over Barnegat Bay and I’ve been on all of them. And I’ve been over, on, and in Barnegat Bay. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/29 "2018-10-08T12:53:39Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > A friend retired a few years ago. He packed up a car and drove around for a few years. He sent me a picture of him and his gf standing on that corner, which is marked in recognition of the song. He drove to Winslow specifically to stand on that corner. It’s more than just marked. There is a bronze statue of a guitar player that looks like Glen Frey. There is a mural behind the statue that looks like an old store front. Reflected in the window of the shop is a girl my lord in a flatbed Ford. Lots of people drive there to stand on that corner. The town is counting on it. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/30 "2018-10-08T13:02:58Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Hah! I got everyone beat! I’m posting this FROM said obscure spot. I’m heading for it on the 147 CTA Bus. The song is called _Lake Shore Drive_ and the line goes, “It starts up north from Hollywood, water on your driver’s side…” “Concrete mountains rearing up, throwing shadows just about five…”\* I must be old, that next line popped into my head. I got to see a tour of bands promoted by WCFL in the 60s, and the last remaining member of **Aliotta Haynes Jeremiah** sang this. As did the whole crowd… \* And there ain’t no road just like it Anywhere I found Running south on Lake Shore Drive headin’ into town Just slippin’ on by on LSD, Friday night trouble bound\* ---
**Author:** ![txjim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@txjim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txjim)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/31 "2018-10-08T13:35:04Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/32 "2018-10-08T13:53:40Z")
[The Ballad Of Thunder Road lyrics by Robert Mitchum, 4 meanings. The Ballad Of Thunder Road explained, official 2023 song lyrics | LyricsMode.com](https://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/r/robert_mitchum/the_ballad_of_thunder_road.html) \*\*The Ballad Of Thunder Road \*\* provides a list of places in Tennessee and surrounding states that I have been to over the years since the 1950s when the song (and movie) were popular. My brother lived in Knoxville for a while and was near some of those places. His place was just off of Kingston Pike, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/33 "2018-10-08T13:56:19Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > It’s more than just marked. There is a bronze statue of a guitar player that looks like Glen Frey. There is a mural behind the statue that looks like an old store front. Reflected in the window of the shop is a girl my lord in a flatbed Ford. Lots of people drive there to stand on that corner. The town is counting on it. Hah! He took a selfie of him and his gf. He mentioned that he had to wait in line to do it, but I thought he was kidding. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/34 "2018-10-08T14:06:39Z")
There’s a Ben Folds Five song called “Kate” and it goes “Down by Rosemary and Cameron, she hands out the Bhagavad Gita” It’s referencing Rosemary St. and Cameron Ave. in Chapel Hill, NC. Those streets don’t cross but if you’re on the UNC campus you’re near both. So I’ve been there. Bonus points - on an earlier album the song “Where’s Summer B?” mentions a dude named Joe Caparo. I stayed at his house for a week! ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/35 "2018-10-08T14:14:41Z")
[Front Porch Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2zLuPLdaI0) by Robert Earl Keen has this line: _This old porch is just a steamin’ greasy plate of enchiladas With lots of cheese and onions and a guacamole salad You can get 'em at the La Salle hotel in old down town, With iced tea and a waitress who will smile every time_ He went to college at A&M in the Bryan/College Station area where there still is a La Salle hotel. I’ve spent the night there. They don’t have a restaurant anymore, so I had enchiladas next door. Heh, ETA: [Lyle Lovett’s video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0iXfnyAZhs) has pictures of it. The whole area’s been renovated, but that’s still largely what it looks like. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/36 "2018-10-08T14:22:04Z")
I’ve been to [Electric Avenue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Avenue_(song)) in Brixton on various occasions but neither rocked down to it nor took it higher once I got there (unless you count going up to the train platform). It’s a pretty happening place most of the time though. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/37 "2018-10-08T14:25:55Z")
I’ve been to Gallup, New Mexico, probably the most obscure town mentioned in Bobby Troup’s “Route 66.” Even stayed at the El Rancho Hotel. > **[El Rancho Hotel & Motel](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Rancho_Hotel_%26_Motel)** > > El Rancho Hotel, Gallup, New Mexico, is a historic hotel built by R.E. “Griff” Griffith, the brother of film director D.W. Griffith. The pair encouraged early film production in the surrounding area. It is located on old U.S. Route 66 and became the temporary home for many Hollywood movie stars.The rambling, three-story hotel building has a large portico with a central balcony reminiscent of the Southern Plantation style. The National Park Service describes it as having a “rusticated fantas It is... Also, I’ve been stuck in Lodi again. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/38 "2018-10-08T14:28:44Z")
Something similar: the rock group Gunhill Road, which had the minor hit “Back When I Hair Was Short.” I’ve driven by the Gun Hill Road that gave the group its name. I’ve also spend time on [42nd Street](http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/770632/42nd-Street-Movie-Ciip-Title-Song.html), but that’s not obscure. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/39 "2018-10-08T14:31:19Z")
There’s a Christine Lavin song called _Regretting What I Said…_, the intro to which is: > [@](#): > > This song is called "Regretting What I Said to You When You > Called Me 11: 00 On a Friday Morning to Tell Me that at 1: 00 > Friday Afternoon You’re Gonna Leave Your Office, Go Downstairs > Hail a Cab to Go Out to the Airport to Catch a Plane to Go Skiing > In the Alps for Two Weeks, Not that I Wanted to Go With You, I > Wasn’t Able to Leave Town, I’m Not a Very Good Skier, I Couldn’t > Expect You to Pay My Way, But After Going Out With You for Three > Years I don’t Like Surprises!! " > 'And it’s subtitled “A Musical Apology” > 'In this song I attempt to take back everything I said while > Standing in a phone booth on the corner of 49th and 3rd. I’ve been to the corner of 49th and 3rd, and looked for a phone booth. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638/40 "2018-10-08T15:57:34Z")
I’ve driven up and down the very curvy road that spawned the song **Hot Rod Lincoln** - the “Spiral Highway” between Lewiston and Moscow Idaho. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-places-in-songs-that-you-have-been-to/822638.md?page=3)