Songs of Cities / Issue #20 launch party was a smashing success!
Diana Lind | Fri, Sep 12th, 2008 | Category: NAC News | City: Los Angeles | Tags: philadelphia, diana lind, music, new york, launch party, songs of cities, doug sell, omaha
Read this playlist and weep. It’s terrific, isn’t it? Also, can anyone out there make a map of all the cities that are mentioned in these songs? It would be cool and we’d post it somewhere.
1. Johnny Cash, “I’ve Been Everywhere”
2. Willie Nelson, “Dallas”
3. Fountains of Wayne, “Hackensack”
4. Ella Fitzgerald, “Manhattan’
5. George Straight, “Amarillo by Morning”
6. Jonathan Richman, “City vs. Country”
7. Fats Domino, “Kansas City”
8. Magnetic Fields, “Washington, DC”
9. Asleep at the Wheel, “Albuquerque”
10. Bobby Sherman, “Seattle”
11. Josh Turner, “Jacksonville”
12. Mobius Band, “Philadelphia”
13. Ween, “Freedom of ‘76”
14. Neko Case, “Thrice All American”
15. Soul Coughing, “Screenwriter’s Blues”
16. Counting Crows, “Omaha”
17. Irma Thomas & Marcia Ball, “I Can’t Get New Orleans Off My Mind”
18. Sufjan Stevens, “Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)”
19. Lefty Frizzell, “Saginaw, MI”
20. Michelle Shocked, “Anchorage”
21. Whiskeytown, “Jacksonville Skyline”
22. Flight of the Concords, “Inner City Pressure”
23. Gram Parsons, “Streets of Baltimore”
24. Ron Sexsmith, “Lebanon, TN”
25. Dionne Warwick, “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?”
26. Go-Betweens, “Streets of Your Town”
27. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, “Nashville Parthenon”
28. Folk Implosion, “EZ LA”
29. Decemberists, “Los Angeles, I’m Yours”
30. Waylon Jennings, “Luckenbach, Texas”
31. Dismemberment Plan, “The Ice of Boston”
32. Dave Loggins, “Please Come to Boston”
33. David Dondero, “Going Back to Wilmington”
34. MXPX, “Move to Brementon”
35. The Swimmers, “Heaven”
36. Marah, “Streets of Philadelphia”
37. Ceann, “Pittsburgh Got me Drunk”
38. Essex Green, “Sin City”
39. Presidents of USA, “Cleveland Rocks”
40. The Pretenders, “My City Was Gone”
41. The Hot Toddies, “Seattle”
42. The Weakerthans, “One Great City!”
43. Brooks Williams, “Vancouver”
44. Hidden Cameras, “Mississauga Goddamn”
45. Beach Boys, “Salt Lake City”
46. Petula Clark, “Downtown”
47. Beth Jean, “Minneapolis”
48. Pet Shop Boys, “New York City Boy”
49. Billy Joel, “Allentown”
50. Will Smith, “Miami”
51. John Mellencamp, “Smalltown”
52. Journey, “Lights”
53. Dean Martin, “Houston”
54. Glen Campbell, “By the Time I Get to Phoenix”
55. Scott Mackenzie, “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)”
56. Mood, “Cincinnati”
57. matt pond PA, “City Song”
58. The Good Life, “Leaving Omaha”
59. Stevie Wonder, “Living for the City”
60. Rosebuds, “Going Back to Boston”
61. Art Brut, “Moving to LA”
62. Interpol, “NYC”
63. John Denver, “City of New Orleans”
64. the Orlons, “South Street”
65. Josh Ritter, “Harrisburg”
66. Frank Sinatra, “Chicago”
67. Damien Jurado, “Ohio”
68. Peter Cincotti, “Goodbye Philadelphia”
Diana Lind is editor in chief of Next American City magazine.
Mike Lally in Rochester, NY
Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 3:25pm
Are we looking for more songs? There is “Jackson” by Johnny Cash. Come to think of it, there is also a “Jackson” by Lucinda Williams. John Hiatt does “Memphis in the Meantime”. OMG where is Springsteen’s “Atlantic City”?
LL Cool J’s - “Going back to Cali”.
“Midnight Train to Georgia” - Gladys Knight
OK...that’s enough before I spend the rest of the day listing songs. :)
mike lally
Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 4:00pm
I’m sorry…
“Detroit Rock City!” - Kiss
Alex in Los Angeles, CA
Fri, Sep 12, 2008 at 4:26pm
My “sprawl” related songs: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=204248877&s=143441
Corrie in Austin, TX
Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 8:09pm
How fun… I’m working on a map of these (including the songs added in the comments).
Matt in Philadelphia
Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 8:51am
Great list and a fun night.
#63 should be Arlo Guthrie, no?
Doug in Philadelphia, PA
Tue, Sep 16, 2008 at 11:41am
#63 is correct. Played John Denver’s version.
Holly Sherman in Knoxville, TN
Tue, Sep 23, 2008 at 12:43am
I’m so happy Ceann’s song made it on this list. I’m from Pittsburgh and no song has ever better captured the essence of a city then that one. Extra points for punching Philadelphia in the nose!
Michelle Kuly
Wed, Sep 24, 2008 at 1:34pm
Corrie! We NEED to get a map of these songs up on the site. Let us know how its going and we’ll post it.
Doug in Philadelphia, PA
Wed, Sep 24, 2008 at 3:37pm
A couple notes to help with the map making:
Neko Case, “Thrice All American”—about Tacoma, WA
Whiskeytown, “Jacksonville Skyline” —about Jacksonville, NC
The Swimmers, “Heaven”—about Lancaster, PA
The Pretenders, “My City Was Gone”—about Akron, OH
The Weakerthans, “One Great City!”—about Winnipeg, Manitoba
Hidden Cameras, “Mississauga Goddamn” --about Mississauga, Ontario
Corrie in Austin, TX
Wed, Sep 24, 2008 at 5:45pm
I’ve got a pdf version of the map that I can send you, but I want to create a more interactive/user-friendly version and got temporarily distracted by other projects… I’ll send the former (where to?) and work on the latter.
Michelle Kuly
Wed, Sep 24, 2008 at 5:53pm
Hey Corrie—just send it to and I’ll keep an eye out for it.
Corrie in Austin, TX
Wed, Sep 24, 2008 at 11:33pm
I’ve posted a Google map for the playlist (with a few of the additions from the comments). It should be open so anyone who wants to can add their own City-themed songs to the list. Here’s the link:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108188274984888235628.000457afd835c3917b6bd&z=3
James Levine in Fresno, CA
Mon, Oct 06, 2008 at 1:07am
Any no one even mentioned ANY hip-hop!!!
BradyDale in Philadelphia
Mon, Oct 06, 2008 at 10:54am
“I’ve Been Everywhere, Man” is originally an Australian song from the late 50’s by a guy named Geoff Mack. It’s been adapted just about everywhere by just about everyone, though, since then. Cash’s is the most famous version here. I love it that he mentions Joplin.
BradyDale in Philadelphia
Mon, Oct 06, 2008 at 10:55am
Oh yeah, and “East Asheville Hardware” by Dave Wilcox.
Doug in Philadelphia, PA
Mon, Oct 06, 2008 at 11:00am
Mood, “Cincinnati” is a hip-hop song.
james Farris in Kansas City, MO
Wed, Oct 08, 2008 at 9:31pm
How about Living in America- James Brown or I wish I was in New Orleans-Tom Waits?