― Tim, Monday, 25 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Only thing is that Cal City *is* mentioned on a record - Jake and Elwood Blues of the Blues Brothers are introduced as "from Calumet City, Illinois". There was also "Cal City Sucks" by my sister's high school boyfriend's punk band, Solid Waste. Surely there must be a rap song about it, but I can't find it. Another thing is that "city" sounds too much like "shitty", so that might be a problem.
Since we're a coal's throw from Gary, Indiana, (home of the Jacksons!) we usually adopted that song from the Music Man as our own.
― Kerry Keane, Monday, 25 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Robin Carmody, Monday, 25 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I did go and see the Beach Boys in '92 or '93 at the big ugly barn which is the Sheffield Arena. Mostly, it was horrible (stage made up like some poxy beach, favourite moments slapped carelessly into nasty medley versions, Al Jardine's son being in the band). But Wilson- count: one (Carl) and he sang "God Only Knows" and it was lovely. So that's what I mean: sometimes even a grossly diminished act can chuck out fab moments.
Some of the Vic Godard obsessives I know curse him for keeping on playing shows and making records. I'll grant that the records aren't always the best but the shows are generally fantastic and I'll never tire of hearing "Stool Pigeon" and the like.
― Tim, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Mark, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Dave225, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
There's Stay Free by the Clash - "and weekends we'd go dancing/down Streatham on the bus."
The Chemistry Between Us by Suede - "and maybe we're just Streatham trash."
While googling I found one called "Craig 'N' Bentley" by what looks suspiciously like an NF/Oi group called the Warriors, which ends: "As you took your last steps in jail/Sadly your mates walk the streets of Streatham Vale."
Also obscure '60s psyche act the Cuppa T (whose first single Miss Pinkerton is a bit of a classic) followed it up with a song called Streatham Hippodrome. They do not appear ever to have put out a third.
(fact found incidentally - Cupid's Inspiration "Yesterday Has Gone" - bass player: Gordon Haskell)
Also discover that Tori Amos briefly lived in Streatham but felt she wasn't cut out for the place.
Oh yes, and there's one further one:
"Streatham princesses in sherbert stilettoes".
This comes from a song called "Shaftesbury Avenue" from an album entitled "Don't Stop The Night" released in 1989 by somebody called - oh, I've forgotten the guy's name, it'll come to me in a moment - that's it, Moment? Mammoth? Mensa? Menus? Bloody hell that one's stumped me.
― Terry Shannon, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Vinnie, Thursday, 7 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― adam, Saturday, 9 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Dan I., Saturday, 9 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― OleM, Sunday, 10 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Anyone like Gilbert & Sullivan?
― harvey williams, Sunday, 10 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Elliot, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
Not my home town for many years, but the first place I thought of when reading the question was Crawley, hometown also of Robert Smith - not that he would ever have dreamt of mentioning the place in a Cure song. So to google, and I'm past the 100th ranked hit and have almost given up, when there it is: "Sea Side Shuffle" by Terry Dactyl and the Dinosaurs. (woo-hoo)
― Jeff W, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― Dave225, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
I like Gilbert & Sullivan.
― Robin Carmody, Monday, 11 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
My favorite song about the town in which I now live is the Tiger Lillies' "Russians," which is about the Saturday flea market in Sachsenhausen.
― Colin Meeder, Tuesday, 12 February 2002 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link
― bryce, Wednesday, 10 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
also, on the east side of the lake, about three miles away is the town of Johnsburg, IL, which was namechecked in TWO songs: Tom Waits' "Johnsburg, IL" and the Handsome Family song "In the Air", from the album of the same name. It's a tiny town, maybe a thousand people. Same as mine.
― gear (gear), Saturday, 31 December 2005 06:40 (eighteen years ago) link
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Saturday, 31 December 2005 07:33 (eighteen years ago) link
― poortheatre (poortheatre), Saturday, 31 December 2005 07:58 (eighteen years ago) link
― Freud Junior (Freud Junior), Saturday, 31 December 2005 08:24 (eighteen years ago) link
― snowballing (snowballing), Saturday, 31 December 2005 10:01 (eighteen years ago) link
― Jay-Kid (Jay-Kid), Saturday, 31 December 2005 10:45 (eighteen years ago) link
― m coleman (lovebug starski), Saturday, 31 December 2005 12:14 (eighteen years ago) link
― My life with Baaderonixx and the Choco-pops babies (Fabfunk), Saturday, 31 December 2005 14:10 (eighteen years ago) link
― Binjominia (Brilhante), Saturday, 31 December 2005 14:43 (eighteen years ago) link
― is this an institution of learning or a teenage brothel? (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 31 December 2005 14:44 (eighteen years ago) link
― is this an institution of learning or a teenage brothel? (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 31 December 2005 14:45 (eighteen years ago) link
― jermaine (jnoble), Saturday, 31 December 2005 15:46 (eighteen years ago) link
― is this an institution of learning or a teenage brothel? (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 31 December 2005 15:48 (eighteen years ago) link
The Tannahill Weavers, "Gloomy Winter's Noo Awa'"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiwXsaPR14w
― Sonny Shamrock (Tom D.), Friday, 31 July 2020 17:49 (three years ago) link
The Fegs, "Mill Street Law and Order"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-Gm9OXQFog
― Sonny Shamrock (Tom D.), Friday, 31 July 2020 17:50 (three years ago) link
... (translation) All coppers are bastards.
― Sonny Shamrock (Tom D.), Friday, 31 July 2020 17:55 (three years ago) link
Beside the ones already mentioned (love ´em both : Cale and Taxi Girl), to me the best is « Paris S’Eveille » by Dutronc.
― AlXTC from Paris, Friday, 31 July 2020 17:59 (three years ago) link
Oh you'll have hundreds of them, I don't have many to choose from, that Tannahill Weavers one is lovely though.
― Sonny Shamrock (Tom D.), Friday, 31 July 2020 18:01 (three years ago) link
We love to get down in Ypsilanti. https://youtu.be/e_vyGFvPaMs
― BrianB, Friday, 31 July 2020 18:18 (three years ago) link
This never fails to crack me up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUY6dBdgWR
Attn: jaymc
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Friday, 11 March 2022 21:17 (two years ago) link
Accurate:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGAqZakJoMg
― The sensual shock (Sund4r), Sunday, 13 March 2022 00:04 (two years ago) link
I'm going to post this one again because the link I posted before no longer works and this song is so lovely:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU0HLLfSVEI
― Alfred Ndwego of Kenya (Tom D.), Sunday, 13 March 2022 00:16 (two years ago) link
Also the story of Robert Tannahill, whose statue I must have passed hundreds of times, is so sad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Tannahill
― Alfred Ndwego of Kenya (Tom D.), Sunday, 13 March 2022 00:18 (two years ago) link
A ton of The Hold Steady's songs are about places I grew up around, so I figured one would mention where I grew up (Burnsville), and indeed one does:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwQWnv-PyGc
― deep luminous trombone (Eazy), Sunday, 13 March 2022 00:21 (two years ago) link
I took the train to Richmond that fellIt was a time I remember, oh so well
― zacata, Sunday, 13 March 2022 13:36 (two years ago) link