# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/21 "2026-10-16T10:11:55Z")
Mention of Salford immediately brings to mind its bard, John Cooper Clarke, and his epic poem-song _Beazley Street_, also about Salford, backed by the Invisible Girls. It makes _Dirty Old Town_ seem like a tourism promo. [Youtube clip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37QUUwp9xIs) ---
**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:** [October 16, 2026, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/22 "2026-10-16T10:22:05Z")
[Tom Lehrer: I Wanna Go Back To Dixie (concert live) (1960)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHlZ-p5TGWA&t=2s) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/23 "2026-10-16T11:19:29Z")
“Lodi” by CCR and “Memphis Blues Again” by Bob Dylan refer to being “stuck” in a city – Lodi, CA for the former; Mobile, AL for the latter. I suppose the Pretenders’ [“My City Was Gone”](https://genius.com/Pretenders-my-city-was-gone-lyrics) qualifies – about how Ohio had changed for the worse. But at least it had been nice before. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/24 "2026-10-16T11:23:39Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Tom Lehrer’s brief but trenchant ode to Boston: I never heard that one. It’s not in my “Complete Tom Lehrer” CD set. ---
**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, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/25 "2026-10-16T11:34:36Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/92538NJ0lbE/maxresdefault.jpg "West Covina - "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend"") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92538NJ0lbE) ---
**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, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/26 "2026-10-16T11:45:25Z")
Randy Newman (who doesn’t really have much nice to say about anywhere) also sang “Burn On”, about Cleveland and its lovely Cuyahoga River: > **[Burn On (2002 Remaster)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVNuT4fkjAs%24)** > > Provided to YouTube by Rhino/Warner RecordsBurn On (2002 Remaster) · Randy NewmanSail Away℗ 2026 Warner Records Inc.Additional Engineer: Bob KovachAdditional... ---
**Author:** ![Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8baadc/32.png) [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicest_of_the_Damned)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/27 "2026-10-16T11:58:26Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Some of the lyrics haven’t aged well, but a song that gets you kicked off SNL can’t be all bad. I’m having a Plate O’ Shrimp moment here. Last night I just randomly remembered seeing that on SNL as a little kid and was wondering if it was a fever dream. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/28 "2026-10-16T12:24:07Z")
Gram Parsons wrote songs about LA, New York and Las Vegas, and they are all not very flattering for the respective city. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/1uH2bOUhFgk/maxresdefault.jpg "The Flying Burrito Bros – Sin City") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uH2bOUhFgk) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/u9YANfKuPt4/maxresdefault.jpg "Big Mouth Blues (2002 Remaster) (Remastered Version)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9YANfKuPt4) [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mAp4JD4tC7k/hqdefault.jpg "Gram Parsons - Ooh Las Vegas") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAp4JD4tC7k) ---
**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, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/29 "2026-10-16T12:29:43Z")
Lehrer graduated from Harvard in 1946 - the same year this posthumous George Gershwin song was published. (There must have been something in the air…) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Pk7zU94OJfA/maxresdefault.jpg "Back Bay Polka") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7zU94OJfA) ---
**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, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/30 "2026-10-16T12:35:30Z")
_There’s a hole in the world like a great black pit_ _and the vermin of the world inhabit it_ _and its morals aren’t worth what a pig could spit_ _and it goes by the name of London._ [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/RTm9n6laEKE/maxresdefault.jpg "No Place Like London") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTm9n6laEKE) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/31 "2026-10-16T12:38:12Z")
Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run. Though he doesn’t name the town. It is pretty much about his hometown, Freehold, NJ. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/IxuThNgl3YA/maxresdefault.jpg "Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxuThNgl3YA) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/32 "2026-10-16T12:45:22Z")
If we’re on Springsteen, there’s absolutely nothing in the song that makes you want to visit, much less be Born in, the USA. > [@](#): > > Born down in a dead man’s town > The first kick I took was when I hit the ground > > … > > Got in a little hometown jam > So they put a rifle in my hand > Sent me off to a foreign land > To go and kill the yellow man > > … > > Down in the shadow of the penitentiary > Out by the gas fires of the refinery > I’m ten years burnin’ down the road > Nowhere to run, ain’t got nowhere to go And then there’s a song about the South that makes you want to stay the absolute fuck away: Strange Fruit > [@](#): > > Pastoral scene of the gallant south > The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth > Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh > Then the sudden smell of burning flesh ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/33 "2026-10-16T12:49:50Z")
The specific place is unspecified, because the intent is presumably generically anywhere people grew up that they wanted to escape, but “My Little Town” by Simon and Garfunkel is pretty devastating: > In my little town > … > Nothing but the dead and dying back in my little town > Nothing but the dead and dying back in my little town > … > Really nothing but the dead and dying back in my little town > Nothing but the dead and dying back in my little town ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/34 "2026-10-16T12:52:38Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/tR0gjl66PVs/maxresdefault.jpg "The Night Chicago Died") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tR0gjl66PVs) ---
**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, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/35 "2026-10-16T13:02:32Z")
This one’s none too kind to Philadelphia: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rGnhePM45nY/maxresdefault.jpg "1776: Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve / Till Then") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGnhePM45nY) ---
**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, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/36 "2026-10-16T13:06:59Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > If we’re on Springsteen, there’s absolutely nothing in the song that makes you want to visit, much less be Born in, the USA. > … > And then there’s a song about the South that makes you want to stay the absolute fuck away: Strange Fruit _Mississippi_. As performed on _[TW3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Was_the_Week_That_Was)_ Possibly NSFW. It contains racist words, and blackface in order to oppose racism. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOKqzJJvEOw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOKqzJJvEOw) ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/37 "2026-10-16T13:10:30Z")
Uncle Tupelo - “Sauget Wind” (Sauget IL is an industrial town across the river from St Louis) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/nEGbZ6G3g20/maxresdefault.jpg "Sauget Wind") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEGbZ6G3g20) ---
**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, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/38 "2026-10-16T13:42:33Z")
This song was the one that actually inspired the thread but I decided to leave it out since it’s a fictional account and not really a dis to Chicago. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/39 "2026-10-16T13:49:37Z")
@CairoCarol, Lyrics are usually copyrighted. Please don’t quote more than a small bit. **Moderating:** ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878/40 "2026-10-16T14:03:48Z")
I’ve been to Sauget. It is in fact a hole. That cover art is not in Sauget. That is all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-are-insulting-to-the-city-or-place-that-they-re-about/1033878.md?page=3)