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Post by woolebull on Jun 1, 2019 15:04:23 GMT -5
This question came to me the other day as I was thinking of the various songs over the years that hit the top 40 and referenced either the state of Tennessee or referenced a city from Tennessee. Many states have been represented on American or Casey's Top 40 through the years. It would be interesting to see if we could come together with the different states that have, and also the different states that have not, been referenced in AT or CT 40 lyrics. For this, I would say that if the state itself has been mentioned in a lyric or if a town/city in a state has been mentioned in a top 40 song, then that state will make the list.
To start, as far as I know, Tennessee has been mentioned through four different cities (Gatlinburg, Knoxville, Nashville, Memphis) and as a state in at least two songs ("Alphabet St." "Tennessee").
Some states will be easy. Some will take some thinking. Let's see what we come up with!
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Post by doofus67 on Jun 1, 2019 15:41:50 GMT -5
Please consider these two records from the mid 70s, both of which mention Tennessee:
"Please Come to Boston" by Dave Loggins "Please Mr. Please" by Olivia Newton-John
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Post by mkarns on Jun 1, 2019 16:01:44 GMT -5
Please consider these two records from the mid 70s, both of which mention Tennessee: "Please Come to Boston" by Dave Loggins "Please Mr. Please" by Olivia Newton-John And Massachusetts, Colorado, California, and Kentucky...
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Post by at40oregon on Jun 1, 2019 16:16:06 GMT -5
Arizona - Mark Linsdsay Sweet Home Alabama - Lynryd Skynryd What's Your Name - Lynyrd Skynyd (Idaho mentioned in lyric) Convoy - CW McCall (bunch of states mentioned) Hotel California - Eagles Luckenbacg, Texas - Waylon Jennings Ohio - Crosby Stills Nash and Young Indiana Wants Me - R Dean Taylor Country Roads Take Me Home - John Denver (West Virginia mentioned)
pre-AT40 - Massachusetts (Bee Gees) 67 a bunch of California sounds in the 60s (Dreaming, Girls, Nights)
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Post by woolebull on Jun 1, 2019 16:28:35 GMT -5
Arizona - Mark Linsdsay Sweet Home Alabama - Lynryd Skynryd What's Your Name - Lynyrd Skynyd (Idaho mentioned in lyric) Convoy - CW McCall (bunch of states mentioned) Hotel California - Eagles Luckenbacg, Texas - Waylon Jennings Ohio - Crosby Stills Nash and Young Indiana Wants Me - R Dean Taylor Country Roads Take Me Home - John Denver (West Virginia mentioned) pre-AT40 - Massachusetts (Bee Gees) 67 a bunch of California sounds in the 60s (Dreaming, Girls, Nights) Like Convoy, "Heart of Rock & Roll" peels off a ton of states, plus the District of Columbia.
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Post by woolebull on Jun 1, 2019 16:30:44 GMT -5
The Twin Cities, and subsequently Minnesota, get nods thanks to Dan Fogleberg ("Leader of the Band") and Janet Jackson ("Escapade").
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Post by mkarns on Jun 1, 2019 16:40:56 GMT -5
Maryland (Baltimore and/or Chesapeake Bay) turns up in Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart", Starbuck's "Moonlight Feels Right", and J. Geils Band's "Angel In Blue", off the top of my head. Also arguably Fleetwood Mac's "Silver Springs".
John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" not only mentions West Virginia, but it's the state's official song. And Denver of course name drops Colorado in several songs (i.e. "Rocky Mountain High"); heck, his own stage name effectively did.
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Post by woolebull on Jun 1, 2019 16:53:21 GMT -5
Maryland (Baltimore and/or Chesapeake Bay) turns up in Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart", Starbuck's "Moonlight Feels Right", and J. Geils Band's "Angel In Blue", off the top of my head. Also arguably Fleetwood Mac's "Silver Springs". John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" not only mentions West Virginia, but it's the state's official song. And Denver of course name drops Colorado in several songs (i.e. "Rocky Mountain High"); heck, his own stage name effectively did. Good calls on Maryland. I was hoping you would come up with some Maryland ones. I was having some trouble figuring out Maryland tunes! I'm having trouble with Virginia as well, except for "Oh Virginia" by Blessid Union of Souls.
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Post by OnWithTheCountdown on Jun 1, 2019 18:21:05 GMT -5
"Living In America" by James Brown mentions a lot of different cities like Pittsburgh (even mentions Pennsylvania by its abbreviation, PA), Atlanta, New Orleans, and many more. Great topic, woolebull - you always come up with many interesting ones!
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Post by mkarns on Jun 1, 2019 18:58:29 GMT -5
Maryland (Baltimore and/or Chesapeake Bay) turns up in Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart", Starbuck's "Moonlight Feels Right", and J. Geils Band's "Angel In Blue", off the top of my head. Also arguably Fleetwood Mac's "Silver Springs". John Denver's "Take Me Home Country Roads" not only mentions West Virginia, but it's the state's official song. And Denver of course name drops Colorado in several songs (i.e. "Rocky Mountain High"); heck, his own stage name effectively did. Good calls on Maryland. I was hoping you would come up with some Maryland ones. I was having some trouble figuring out Maryland tunes! I'm having trouble with Virginia as well, except for "Oh Virginia" by Blessid Union of Souls. For Virginia all I could come up so far was "Promised Land", a Chuck Berry song that Elvis reached AT40 with; Norfolk, VA, is one of many places/states referenced in the song. Though if AT40 had started less than a year earlier we could perhaps count "Who'll Stop the Rain" by CCR, half of a double sided hit in early 1970. (I'm not counting "Meet Virginia" or "Only the Good Die Young", since they refer to people, not the state.) Another one for Maryland--and Louisiana--is "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth" by Primitive Radio Gods: "The plane takes off from Baltimore and touches down on Bourbon Street".
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Post by jlthorpe on Jun 1, 2019 19:01:39 GMT -5
Would it count if the song references a person who shares their name with a state (for example, "Meet Virginia"), or does it have to be an explicit reference to the state?
Also, does it count if the city or state is mentioned in the title but not the lyrics (such as the instrumental "'Miami Vice' Theme")?
Besides those questions, there's:
* "Theme from 'New York, New York'" (obviously New York state) * "Miami" (Florida) * "Waking Up in Vegas" (Nevada)
EDIT: Posted the first question before I saw mkarns' response.
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Post by at40nut on Jun 1, 2019 20:28:24 GMT -5
There are two songs from the 70's that stick out like a sore thumb to me 1972-Three Dog Night "Never Been To Spain" Las Vegas, Needles (CA) , Oklahoma, (not) Arizona 1976-Steve Miller Band "Rockin' Me"-"I've Been To Phoenix, Arizona all the way to Tacoma, Philadelphia, Atlanta, L.A. Northern California where the girls are warm"
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Post by freakyflybry on Jun 1, 2019 21:27:49 GMT -5
Billy Ray Cyrus mentions Arkansas in "Achy Breaky Heart".
Linda Ronstadt mentions several in "Back In The U.S.A."
Of course, "Georgia On My Mind" and "Midnight Train To Georgia".
Many songs mention Chicago.
Mississippi was mentioned twice on the first AT40 show.
Going more recent, Lady Gaga mentioned Nebraska in "You And I".
A 2000's example: the Red Hot Chili Peppers mentioned California, and many other states, in "Dani California".
Hootie & the Blowfish mention Charleston, referring to their home state of South Carolina, in "I Will Wait".
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Post by woolebull on Jun 1, 2019 22:17:33 GMT -5
Richard Marx gives Nebraska two with, "Hazard".
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Post by woolebull on Jun 1, 2019 22:21:22 GMT -5
Two for the Old North State that I can think of
North Carolina: "Carolina In My Mind", "Brick".
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