# Songs about parts of real cities **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 2, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476 "2004-11-02T02:18:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/21 "2004-11-02T20:25:30Z")
More NYC… There’s a really, really old song, like about 100 years old, about the Bowery and why the singer’ll never go there again. More L.A. I don’t know who sang this or what the title was, but there was a song from about 12 years ago where the female singer says, _All I want to do is to just have fun I gotta feeling, I’m not the only one All I want to do is to just have fun Until the sun comes up over Santa Monica Boulevard._ ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/22 "2004-11-02T21:28:41Z")
L.A.: Hollywood Babylon - The Misfits Santa Monica - Everclear Disneyland - Eyes Seattle: Viva Sea-Tac - Robyn Hitchcock My Possee’s on Broadway - Sir Mix a Lot ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/23 "2004-11-02T23:29:09Z")
U2 - Angel of Harlem Billy Joel - You May be Right (reference to the Bedford - Stuyversyn section of Brooklyn) NWA - Straight Outa Compton (I believe Compton is a suburb or section of LA) ---
**Author:** ![Lisa-go-Blind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Lisa-go-Blind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lisa-go-Blind)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/24 "2004-11-02T23:45:38Z")
**London** “Oxford St., W1” by The Television Personalities “Bar Italia” by Pulp (It’s around the corner, in Soho, where other broken people go) “The Boy With the Arab Strap” by Belle and Sebastian mentions Old Compton St **San Francisco** “Piazza, New York Catcher” by Belle and Sebastian mentions the Tenderloin Not a city, but **Minnesota** “Buck Hill” by The Replacements **Texas** “Possum Kingdom” by The Toadies I’ll think of more once I look at my music collection. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/25 "2004-11-02T23:52:39Z")
An oldie: [MacArthur Park](http://www.songfacts.com/detail.lasso?id=1875). (Park in downtown Los Angeles.) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/26 "2004-11-03T01:23:08Z")
> [@Lisa-go-Blind](#): > > “The Boy With the Arab Strap” by Belle and Sebastian mentions Old Compton St If we’re going to go for any song that includes a London location in its lyrics, we could be here all night 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/27 "2004-11-03T01:47:00Z")
Athens, Georgia: The B-52’s “Deadbeat Club” says, “Let’s go crash that party down in Normaltown tonight” The B-52’s “Love Shack” says, “Headin’ down the Atlanta Highway, lookin’ for a love getaway” San Francisco and Berkeley, California: Soul Coughing’s “White Girls” starts with, “White Girl, Market at Van Ness.” and that verse ends with “Inclines and wires, Telegraph Avenue.” ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/28 "2004-11-03T01:49:47Z")
Cyprus Avenue in \*_Belfast \*\* is mentioned in at least two of Van Morrison’s songs,_ Cyprus Avenue \* and _Madame George_ from **[Astral Weeks](http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/criticallist/must_have_astral.shtml)**. ---
**Author:** ![marky33](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@marky33](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marky33)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/29 "2004-11-03T10:42:55Z")
One more for London: Willesden to Cricklewood (Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros) By my, admittedly very unscientific, count - where song title meets the OP and both artist and city are obvious - the tally so far stands thus: 1. London (19.5) 2. Los Angeles (11) 3. New York (7.5) 4=Toronto, Minneapolis, Seattle (2) 7=Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Liverpool, Asbury Park, Houston, Washington DC, Belfast, Berlin, Moscow (1) ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/30 "2004-11-03T10:57:19Z")
“Bad Bad Leroy Brown” by Jim Croce (South Side of Chicago) > [@edwino](#): > > Beth Orton has a song called “Mount Washington”, but that’s not really part of a city. It’s part of Baltimore. My sister lives there! But Ms. Orton was apparently referring to London, which also has a Mt. Zion and a St. Jude Street. ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/31 "2004-11-03T13:32:49Z")
Have we had Auckland yet? > [@](#): > > Walking 'round the room singing Stormy Weather at 57 Mt. Pleasant St. By Crowded House ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/32 "2004-11-03T17:00:25Z")
Smokey Robinson: “There is a rose in Spanish Harlem…” Glenn Campbell, Broadway, “Rhinestone Cowboy” ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/33 "2004-11-03T17:16:08Z")
The song **Oregon Hill** , by the Cowboy Junkies, is about a very distinct neighborhood right here in Richmond, VA. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/34 "2004-11-03T17:37:01Z")
New York: Simon & Garfunkel: The 59th Bridge Street Song (Feelin’ Groovy) ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/35 "2004-11-03T18:10:45Z")
Santa Monica is it’s own city. It is part of the L.A. Metropolitan area, but it is not part of the City of Los Angeles. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/36 "2004-11-03T18:31:36Z")
San Francisco: “Russian Hill” by Jellyfish. London: “Towers of London” by XTC. Wiltshire, near Swindon: “Chalkhills and Children” by XTC references the Iron Age Uffington Chalkhorse there. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/37 "2004-11-03T19:37:37Z")
Auckland, NZ: “One Tree Hill” by U2 ---
**Author:** ![peri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/67e7ee/32.png) [@peri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peri)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/38 "2004-11-03T19:43:20Z")
Another about Chicago: Lincoln Park Pirates ---
**Author:** ![ForgottenLore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@ForgottenLore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForgottenLore)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/39 "2004-11-03T20:05:52Z")
_Moon Over Bourbon Street_ by Sting. ---
**Author:** ![bananabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8baadc/32.png) [@bananabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bananabelle)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476/40 "2004-11-03T20:34:04Z")
California: “Going to California,” Led Zeppelin “California Dreamin’,” The Mamas and the Papas “California Sun,” Rancid “Under the Bridge,” Red Hot Chili Peppers Nevada: “Viva Las Vegas,” Elvis “Friend of the Devil,” The Grateful Dead (mentions Reno) Oklahoma: “Oklahoma!,” Oklahoma!, the musical Omaha: “Omaha,” Counting Crows [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-parts-of-real-cities/272476.md?page=3)