# The Greatest Songs About Places. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 13, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375 "2008-07-13T23:44:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/1 "2008-07-13T23:44:44Z")
Here’s my fave, and I know there are plenty of others, so let’s hear them. **[America](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8ULw6tDey0)** “I’m empty and aching and I don’t know why!” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2008, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/2 "2008-07-13T23:50:39Z")
[San Francisco(Be sure to wear flowers in your hair)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQsSAeq7yn0) ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/3 "2008-07-14T00:11:58Z")
One a bit closer to home, for myself… **[url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiSQIbNxjcU][/urlLondon’s Calling]** ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/4 "2008-07-14T00:15:38Z")
Damn it! I don’t know what happened there. I’ll try again. **[London’s Calling](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiSQIbNxjcU)** ---
**Author:** ![phil417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6bbea6/32.png) [@phil417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phil417)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/5 "2008-07-14T01:10:56Z")
Two come to mind: 1. “Kansas City” done by various country artists, also by the Beatles [http://youtube.com/watch?v=DOTKrnBtDg0](http://youtube.com/watch?v=DOTKrnBtDg0) 2. “Ventura Highway” by America [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Dd2Ch6WBeQU](http://youtube.com/watch?v=Dd2Ch6WBeQU) Love, Phil ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/6 "2008-07-14T01:28:41Z")
I’ve never been to Boston, but I like the song _Boston_ by Augustana. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/7 "2008-07-14T01:32:44Z")
How about songs about several places? By the time I get to Phoenix Please Come to Boston and of course I’ve Been Everywhere ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/8 "2008-07-14T01:45:33Z")
I’ve been from Phoenix Arizona all the way to Tacoma; Philadelphia, Atlanta, L.A. As someone that was born and raised in Tacoma, it’s the only song that I know of that mentions the city. My only aggravation was seeing Steve Miller in concert a few years ago and he changed Tacoma to Seattle the first time he sang the line. The booing from the dozen or so of us from Tacoma let him know that we did not appreciate the change in lyrics. He sang Tacoma the two times it came up later in the song. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/9 "2008-07-14T02:13:58Z")
Good question. Here are just the first that popped into my mind: “I am a Town” - sung by Mary Chapin Carpenter. Beautifully evokes the small southern towns I knew when I was young. “Swett Wyoming Home” - sung by Bill Staines. although nowadays I think ‘Sweet Wisconsin Home’. works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/10 "2008-07-14T02:27:31Z")
**London You’re a Lady** - The Pogues Now _that’s_ how you do a love song to a city. And speaking of great love songs to cities: [Under the Bridge](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQOYCXKfpt4) - Red Hot Chili Peppers (L.A.) and [L.A. Woman](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3jf9_rua5Q) - The Doors ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/11 "2008-07-14T02:45:17Z")
I won’t say they’re all favorites, but I have nearly 70 songs in my library that refernce cities. There are a lot of good ones among them: Name / Artist Acapulco Sunrise / Santana Angel Of Harlem / U2 April In Paris / Count Basie Atlantic City / Bruce Springsteen Babylon Sisters / Steely Dan Barrytown / Steely Dan Brooklyn (Owes The Charmer Under Me) / Steely Dan Caves Of Altamira,The / Steely Dan Charleston / James P. Johnson Chattanooga Choo Choo / Glenn Miller Orchestra Chelsea / Elvis Costello Chelsea Morning / Joni Mitchell Chicago / We Can Change The World / Crosby, Stills & Nash City Of New Orleans / Arlo Guthrie Coconut Grove / Santana Coming Into Los Angeles / Arlo Guthrie Daddy Don’t Live In That New York City No More / Steely Dan Dear Old Donegal / Various Artists Dekalb Blues / Leadbelly Detroit Rock City / Kiss Do You Know The Way To San Jose / Dionne Warwick East St. Louis Toodle-Oo / Steely Dan Englishman In New York / The Police Free Man In Paris / Joni Mitchell Galveston / Glen Campbell Goodnight Saigon / Billy Joel Harlem Congo / Chick Webb Jordan Is A Hard Road To Travel 115 / The Chieftains Kalamazoo / Glenn Miller Orchestra Kansas City (Beatles) / The Beatles Katmandu / Bob Seger Kerry Dance / Various Artists Lamb Lies Down On Broadway,The / Genesis The Last Time I Saw Paris / Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra Last Train To Clarksville 98 / The Monkees Leaving Las Vegas / Sheryl Crow Leningrad / Billy Joel Little Old Lady From Pasadena,The / Jan & Dean Louie To Frisco 102 / George Thorogood Lubbock Or Leave It / Dixie Chicks Marrakesh Express / Crosby, Stills & Nash Miami / Will Smith My Woman From Tokyo / Deep Purple New York Groove / Kiss New York Minute (Live) / The Eagles New York State Of Mind / Billy Joel On Broadway / The Drifters Overture The Barber of Seville / Gioachino Rossini R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A. / John Mellencamp Rocky Road to Dublin / Waxies Dargle San Antonio Rose / Bing Crosby Say Goodbye To Hollywood / Billy Joel Spanish Harlem / Aretha Franklin St. Louis Blues / Louis Armstrong Statesboro Blues / The Allman Brothers Band Still In Saigon / The Charlie Daniels Band Streets of Philadelphia / Bruce Springsteen Sweet Home Chicago / Robert Johnson Take Me Back To Chicago / Chicago Tampico Trauma / Jimmy Buffett Union City Blue / Blondie Vienna Blood, Op. 354 / Strauss, Richard Werewolves Of London / Warren Zevon The White Cliffs Of Dover / Vera Lynn Wichita Lineman / Glen Campbell Winchester Cathedral / New Vaudeville Band Woodstock (Joni Mitchell) / Joni Mitchell ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/12 "2008-07-14T02:49:21Z")
Does _"Route 66_" qualify as a place? ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/13 "2008-07-14T04:16:42Z")
I think “Waterloo Sunset” by The Kinks captures London nicely. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/14 "2008-07-14T06:11:18Z")
[California Dreamin’](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wI6uAOHzvo&feature=related) is one of my 10 favorite '60s songs about anything. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/15 "2008-07-14T06:42:25Z")
Whenever I’ve been working out of town and it’s time to head home, I get to sing [Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xY0HIXt5IME). ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/16 "2008-07-14T09:12:00Z")
The [Beach Boy’s Kokomo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rBjpjEAi24) is great ambient music to a Florida Gulf Coast sunset from the Keys to Tampa… and the caribbean. I like [Margaritaville](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUTf5qvS0Lo) too. That’s pretty much Sud de Border, America to a Norte’. I know it’s gauche and cliche but I like this classic music. ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/17 "2008-07-14T09:59:05Z")
**Clare Island** - by the Saw Doctors **California Stars** - Woody Guthrie’s song covered by Wilco and Billy Bragg **Il Est Cinq Heures, Paris S’Eveille** - Jacques Dutronc I’ve never known Paris _quite_ in this way (going to bed at 5am when everyone else is slowly beginning their day) but I have had mornings like this, and I love how he cheerfully sings: “People get up, they are bullied This is the time when I go to bed.” ---
**Author:** ![Fuji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a9a28c/32.png) [@Fuji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/18 "2008-07-14T11:21:45Z")
David Bowie - “Amsterdam” I know it’s Brel’s song, but Bowie does a great job with it. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/19 "2008-07-14T13:57:12Z")
Some great selections there, folks… keep 'em coming! 🙂 **[Lights Of Cincinnati - Scott Walker](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD0PxlhmhEQ)** ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2008, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375/20 "2008-07-14T14:08:35Z")
Summer in Dublin - Bagatelle The City Of Chicago - Christy Moore Welcome To The Maritimes - Classified I like all of these. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-songs-about-places/456375.md?page=2)