# Songs About Imaginary Places **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 25, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800 "2002-05-25T15:08:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SuperNova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SuperNova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNova)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/1 "2002-05-25T15:08:47Z")
Yesterday afternoon, I was with a group of friends trying to list songs about imaginary places. Now I have decided to mix a CD composed entirely of these songs. Alas, I do not have enough for a full CD, which is why I’m coming here for help. If anyone can think up more of these songs, it’s dopers. So far I have: Island in the Sun Castle on a Cloud Bimbombey Pleasant Valley Sunday Jungle Land Strawberry Fields Forever Last Train to Clarksville Any more? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/2 "2002-05-25T15:25:10Z")
Do you want only songs that mention imaginary places in the title? Songs primarily ABOUT imaginary places? How about songs that just MENTION imaginary places? Songs with imaginary places in the title include: "The Big Rock Candy Mountain (traditional folk song) “Sugar Mountain” by Neil Young “Lonesome Town” by Ricky Nelson “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley (“Lonely Street” qualifies as an imaginary place to, guess) Songs that mention imaginary places: “Puff the Magic Dragon” by Peter, Paul & Mary (“a land called Hana-lee”) ---
**Author:** ![Neptune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@Neptune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptune)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/3 "2002-05-25T15:33:37Z")
Strawberry Fields is a real place. Clarkesville is a real place. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNova](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SuperNova](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNova)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/4 "2002-05-25T15:58:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neptune \* > \*\*Strawberry Fields is a real place. > > Clarkesville is a real place. \*\* Thanks. Guess that means I need even more songs. I am looking for songs primarily ABOUT imaginary places. Not neccessary to have them in the title. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/5 "2002-05-25T16:00:56Z")
Two more by the Beatles Yellow Submarine (“the Land of Submarines”) Cry Baby Cry (“The King of Marigold”) Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/6 "2002-05-25T16:10:04Z")
Was Penny Lane a real place? ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/7 "2002-05-25T16:29:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SuperNova \* > **Last Train to Clarksville** Adding to **Neptune’s** post, from “The Billboard Book of Number One Hits” – “Bobby [Hart, cowriter of the song] picked a favorite Arizona town for the train’s destination, and Clarksville became the fourth American city (after Kansas City, New Orleans and El Paso) to be mentioned in the title of a number one song”. Also, according to this book, “Penny Lane is a bus roundabout in Liverpool”. Some additions: China Grove, the “sleepy little town down around San Antone” according to the 1973 Doobie Brother’s 1973 hit, is mythical. Also, in 1965 Nancy Sinatra sang about the charms of Sugar Town. And on a 1972 B-side, David Bowie told us about Suffragette City. And who could forget Olivia Newton-John’s 1980 ode to Xanadu. Or when Jan and Dean, in 1965, sang about Surf “two girls for every boy” City. Both Lipps, Inc. and Pseudo Echo have expressed a desire to move to Funkytown. And in 1968 Jeannie C. Riley recounted the events which took place at the Harper Valley P.T.A. , while in 1989 XTC reviewed the achievements of the Mayor of Simpleton. ---
**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:** [May 25, 2002, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/8 "2002-05-25T17:15:34Z")
Atlantis (Donovan) Atlantis Calling (Flash and the Pan) Brigadoon (an entire musical about a mytical place) Armenia, City in the Sky (the Who) Tommy’s Holiday Camp (the Who) Octopus’s Garden (Beatles) Hotel California ---
**Author:** ![Mephisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@Mephisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mephisto)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/9 "2002-05-25T17:28:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*Was Penny Lane a real place? \*\* A big Beatle fan I know says it is. I believe my friend but can’t offer any proof. What about “Evermore,” as in Led Zeppelin’s “The Battle of.” Wasn’t Evermore a place (haven’t really listened to LZ in years) in this song? I’d also consider Led Zep’s “Kashmir” a fictional locale, depsite the real world political entity–Robert Plant just sort of attached the name of the place to the weird vision he was writing about. Zeppelin also mentions Tolkein’s Mordor in one of their songs. Oh yeah, and then there was “Misty Mountain”–I don’t know if misty mountain was supposed to be about a real place or not. I think Ronnie James Dio mentioned a “Nevermore” in one of his songs, as well as a Silver Mountain, and a bunch of other mystical locales from his own personal mythology (or D&D campaign). Or was it Evermore? I’ll think of a million songs with fictional locales when I leave my computer in a little bit. No doubt I’ll forget them all when I return. ---
**Author:** ![Mephisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@Mephisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mephisto)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/10 "2002-05-25T17:32:23Z")
Oops. I didn’t notice **whitetho** ’s explanation about Penny Lane before I posted. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/11 "2002-05-25T17:48:20Z")
Xanadu ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/12 "2002-05-26T00:24:06Z")
Heaven by the Talking Heads ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/13 "2002-05-26T00:45:09Z")
Apart from ONJ&ELO, Xanadu also features in the Dave Dee c.s. classic from the sicties: The legend of Xanadu. And I can’t believe that no-one has mentioned Avalon (Roxy Music) yet… ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/14 "2002-05-26T00:51:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SuperNova \* > **Pleasant Valley Sunday** [Pleasant Valley](http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?country=US&address=&city=Pleasant+Valley&state=IA) is a real place – it’s a small town in Iowa, just upstream from Bettendorf. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/15 "2002-05-26T01:18:24Z")
Yep, been to Pleasant Valley, IA, a number of times. Was there ever a Scarborough Fair? ---
**Author:** ![bdgr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@bdgr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bdgr)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/16 "2002-05-26T02:04:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by whitetho \* > \*\* > Some additions: China Grove, the “sleepy little town down around San Antone” according to the 1973 Doobie Brother’s 1973 hit, is mythical. \*\* [Nope](http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?location=Gzkinu%2frCPf2xLNP%2f3C7ahtshIF%2fPGXRIy8QhP%2fBWoMpZ%2fqFbfpCLMG2dAxXnGG3g5ptRilsc8Q%3d&address=&city=china%20grove&state=&zipcode=&country=US) ---
**Author:** ![SoMoMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@SoMoMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoMoMom)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/17 "2002-05-26T02:06:13Z")
Kenny Loggins sings about Pooh Corner (I love that song) ---
**Author:** ![Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Luna)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/18 "2002-05-26T02:40:38Z")
What about Long Ago and Faraway by James Taylor? And Inside My Guitar? Cannot remember who sang that, though. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/19 "2002-05-26T02:45:22Z")
While we’re at it and **Chuck** mentioned “Briagadoon”, lemme add a few more musicals about imaginary places: Camelot (“Where winter is forbidden 'till December/And exits March the seocond, on the dot”) La Mancha (as in Man of La Mancha) “River City” Iowa (from the Music Man. It’s actually Mason City and Wilson didn’t even try to hide the fact. But still) Metropolis (Fritz Lang’s not Clark Kent’s) was a musical. Rocky Horror features a song about the planet “Transsexual Transylvania” Was “The Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe” railroad real? If not, it was from The Harvey Girls. And, on preview, I’d missed the most obvious: The Wizard of Oz. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2002, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800/20 "2002-05-26T03:05:24Z")
“Xanadu” is also a song by RUSH. [“Shambala”](http://users.cis.net/sammy/shamba.htm) by Three Dog Night [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-imaginary-places/110800.md?page=2)