The Bee Gees song “Road to Alaska” mentions Alaska, Nebraska and Oklahoma, but no cities from any of those states. It does, however, contain this line:
I found Cincinnati, out there I was happy,
Every single day of my life.
Definitely a fun song. Has anyone other than lyricist Kal Mann published the “correct” lyrics? (From the December 3, 2001, LA Times article here:“Isn’t the expression, ‘Hot as a pistol?’ He said, ‘You shut up and sing. I’m the writer!’”) Per your link’s included lyrics, “This town is spinning every Friday night” and “The stars are spinnin’ every Friday night”. Could it possibly be “The sounds are spinnin’…”? (What do the Bristolians do on Saturday night?)
Two quick favorites…
[ul]
[li]“Any Old Place With You”, Richard Rodgers & (lyricist) Larry Hart, “I’ll go to hell for ya, Or Philadelphia”, here, for example[/li][li]“At Long Last Love”, Cole Porter, “Is it for all time or simply a lark? Is it Granada I see or only Asbury Park?”, here, for example[/li][/ul]
Google found Jim Gill Children’s Music, “The Night We Made It Noisy In Boise, Idaho” here.
Annandale (I’m gonna say Virginia, tho it’s probably NY):
When California tumbles into the sea
That’ll be the day I go back to Annandale
Tried to warn you about Chino and Daddy Gee
But I can’t seem to get to you through the U.S. Mail
–“My Old School,” Steely Dan
I think Birmingham was covered upthread, but just for backup - Emmylou Harris, ‘Boulder to Birmingham’:
I would rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
I would hold my life in his saving grace.
I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham
If I thought I could see, I could see your face.
Another Lorenz Hart lyric, from “On Your Toes” (specific rhyme in bold):
Remember the youth 'mid snow and ice
Who bore the banner with the strange device
Excelsior!
This motto applies to folks who dwell
In Richmond Hill or in New Rochelle
In Chelsea or
In Sutton Place.
New York is already well represented, but I just posted this because I think that’s a hell of a rhyme.
Hey you don’t know me but you don’t like me
Say you care less how I feel
But how many of you who sit and judge me
have walked the streets of Bakersfield?
Streets of Bakersfield - Buck Owens
From “Train Kept a Rollin’” by Johnny Burnette, the Yardbirds, Aerosmith and others:
“We made a stop
In Albuquerque.
She must’ve thought
I was a real cool jerk. We
Got out the train in El Paso
She looked so good, Jack, I couldn’t let her go.”
There’s New Mexico
So, what we have left is:
Delaware
Idaho
Maryland
Montana
North Carolina
North Dakota
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
drad dog took care of Virginia with Newport News.
We have a children’s song for Idaho.
Maryland, Baltimore “Streets of Baltimore”
Now I’m-a-going back on that same train that brought me here before
While my baby walks the streets of Baltimore --Bobby Bare, Gram Parsons, et al
Utah: Salt Lake City From Book of Mormon, “Sal Tlay Ka Siti”
If I could let myself believe
I know just where I’d be
Right on the next bus to Paradise
Sal Tlay Ka Siti
Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show
Walkin’ to the south out of Roanoke
I caught a trucker out of Philly had a nice long toke
But he’s a-heading west from the Cumberland gap
To Johnson City, Tennessee
I gotta get a move on before the sun
I hear my baby calling my name and I know that she’s the only one
And if I die in Raleigh at least I will die free
This song mentions Raleigh, but doesn’t rhyme it.
I’d imagine the Animaniac’s “State Capitals” song has quite a few covered.
Got one for Wisconsin, from the Polka King himself, Frankie Yankovic!
The song is “Milwaukee Polka.”
“Beer from Milwaukee,
The very best in town.
It makes you so talky.
Drink it down, drink it down, drink it down!”
Oh, I have one:
“Kingpin” by Wilco
I wanna be your kingpin
Living in Pekin. (Illinois).
But it does rhyme the state if that helps.
“Headed down south to the land of the pine,
Thumbing my way into North Caroline”
No need to be so obscure. As mentioned earlier Springsteen’s Atlantic City covers it. Also another big song comes close but doesn’t exactly mention a city. The Four Seasons My Eyes Adore You.
“Walking home every day over Barnegat Bridge and Bay”
Definately New York. Annandale-on-Hudson is the home of Bard College which happens to be Donald Fagan’s old school.
There’s also “Barrytown” from Pretzel Logic.
I can see by what you carry that you come from Barrytown
Guys, I hate to do this more than anything. This is one of the low points of my life. But here it is from some damned website:
Have you heard “The Missoula Song” by Jewel?
“Do ya, do ya, wanna wanna wanna wanna, do you wanna come on down to the city of Missoula? On a summer day, the Clark Fork River’s gonna cool ya …
“They’ll even school ya …
in Missoula …”
During her tour in June, Jewel wrote a song for each city where she played, including Missoula.
But I redeem myself:
Doin no one [F#] thing that I could ** mention
they’re not [F#] tryin to get your at[C#]tention
and they’re not [F#] showin you all they ** got
they don’t [F#] care if you’re there or [C#] not
like [D#m] Sheboygan or ** Eau Claire
[D#m] they’re just [C#] there
They’re not tryin’ on the dance ** floor no
they’re just movin [F#] slow
Jonathan Richman They’re not tryin on the dance floor.
(The least inspirational city song I know)
So thats Wisconsin and Montana