# What songs are insulting to the city or place that they’re about? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [October 16, 2026, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878 "2026-10-16T05:53:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/1 "2026-10-16T05:53:18Z")
There are plenty of songs that sing the praises of the location that they’re about, like “New York. New York” or “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” What songs are there that are the opposite? IE, songs that make you not want to visit the place? “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/2 "2026-10-16T06:13:01Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hDE4LHpK9dU/hqdefault.jpg "Concrete Blonde - Still in Hollywood") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDE4LHpK9dU) ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/3 "2026-10-16T06:18:35Z")
Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young’s “Ohio” probably wasn’t particularly good for tourism. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/l1PrUU2S_iw/maxresdefault.jpg "Ohio") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1PrUU2S_iw) ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/4 "2026-10-16T06:18:52Z")
Carry me back to old Virginny/Virginia. Racist as Hell. And quite representative of the place where I spent more than a few of my growing up years. Its replacement song Our Great Virginia because the lyrics just plain suck. On top of that is the silent racism. The writer felt the need to divide the population into farm and city dweller, but God forbid he explicitly state people of color are actually Virginians. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/5 "2026-10-16T06:19:43Z")
“Dirty Water” by the Standells is about how, well, dirty and run-down Boston is and how disreputable the people there are, and the narrator is implied to be the Boston Strangler. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DpSIRqvx5us/maxresdefault.jpg "Dirty Water") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpSIRqvx5us) ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/6 "2026-10-16T06:21:50Z")
Our State song of Oklahoma talks about how much the wind blows more than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/7 "2026-10-16T06:22:58Z")
Dirty Old Town [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/s11BuatTuXk/maxresdefault.jpg "The Pogues - Dirty Old Town") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s11BuatTuXk) ([Salford](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_Old_Town)) ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/8 "2026-10-16T06:28:44Z")
Billy Joel doesn’t make Allentown sound like much of a place to live. [Allentown - YouTube.](https://youtu.be/BHnJp0oyOxs)[https://youtu.be/BHnJp0oyOxs](https://youtu.be/BHnJp0oyOxs) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/9 "2026-10-16T06:33:14Z")
Some of the lyrics haven’t aged well, but a song that gets you kicked off SNL can’t be all bad. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Cd-a7ZzoWmE/maxresdefault.jpg "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd-a7ZzoWmE) ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/10 "2026-10-16T06:38:33Z")
Video can’t be played. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/11 "2026-10-16T07:06:18Z")
Try this. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/9ZSsGEpaMRY/hqdefault.jpg "5 New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZSsGEpaMRY) ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/12 "2026-10-16T07:20:36Z")
“Thrice All American” by Neko Case is another one, about how Tacoma is a run-down, used-up, battle-worn place that doesn’t even have a Walmart yet… that she’s glad she finally got away from but loves it with all her heart. She refuses to perform it live outside of Pierce County. > **[Neko Case - Thrice All American (Tacoma)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AXVBtBJjLw%2F1)** > > A video to go with one of my favourite Neko Case songs. She has a fantastic voice. This is from her CD Furnace Room Lullaby from 2000. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/13 "2026-10-16T07:44:14Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Dirty Old Town This is the one that sprang to my mind. Many people thing it’s about Dublin as The Dubliners and The Pogues both covered it, but it’s actually an English folk song set in the industrial grime of Salford, just outside Manchester (England). Although I’m not sure people from Salford find it insulting as opposed to relateable. ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/14 "2026-10-16T08:00:46Z")
“This town’s full of money grabbers Go ahead, bite the Big Apple, don’t mind the maggots” The Rolling Stones, “Shattered” (1978) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Wjz6l_4MqHM/maxresdefault.jpg "The Rolling Stones - Shattered (Official Lyric Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjz6l_4MqHM) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/15 "2026-10-16T08:36:06Z")
“If you want to go to hell, just take a trip / To the Sodom and Gomorrah of the Mississip’” [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/EuQjoaYIwQA/hqdefault.jpg "The Simpsons - New Orleans Song") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuQjoaYIwQA) ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/16 "2026-10-16T08:38:40Z")
Tom Lehrer’s brief but trenchant ode to Boston: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/goJ0QIaXZ-w/hqdefault.jpg "Tom Lehrer - The Subway Song") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goJ0QIaXZ-w) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/17 "2026-10-16T08:50:59Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/AMrPYpLAZvk/maxresdefault.jpg "Viva! Sea-Tac, Robyn Hitchcock Music Video") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMrPYpLAZvk) ---
**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 16, 2026, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/18 "2026-10-16T09:12:44Z")
_ **Saturday Night In Toledo, Ohio** _ by John Denver [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0iuZQnMUbvg/maxresdefault.jpg "Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio (Live at the Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles, CA -...") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iuZQnMUbvg) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/19 "2026-10-16T09:13:13Z")
And then there’s Randy Newman, “Baltimore”. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yhdh8kSM7lY/hqdefault.jpg "Randy Newman - Baltimore & Lyrics") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhdh8kSM7lY) Not exactly a full-throated endorsement of Charm City’s charms ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/20 "2026-10-16T09:28:24Z")
Don’t know how to embed the video, but… “Stuck in Indianapolis” by the Bottle Rockets [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878.md?page=2)