you can go your own way

Lots of times, artists write about what moves them. Lots of times, those things are places.

So, here's a shorter entry all about songs that feature cool places. Or, places in general.

A few things you should know:
A. I did not feature James Taylor's "Mexico" because it's, while it's a great song, it's highly overplayed.
B. I tried to sample each continent, but, let's be real, there are way cooler songs written about parts of the US alone than songs about a) Australia or b) Antarctica for that matter.
C. I tried to sample a variety of genres. So if you hate it, don't listen to it, but I know I like this.
D. You're welcome.

1. Coconut Records, "The West Coast"


Love this song. G just played it, which inspired me to write this shit down. I forgot how much I like it. A friend made me listen to it years ago, and I've stuck with it ever since. It's sweet without being sappy.

2. Van Halen, "Panama"


Hair bands unite. God bless Van Halen. I should probably add that, as a longtime Van Halen enthusiast, this song isn't actually about the place, Panama (or, Panama City Beach, FL, which is much more likely considering Van Halen and their exploits). It's about a car. But you can keep that between you and me.

3. Murray Head, "One Night in Bangkok"


Fun fact: this song was originally written for a musical, "Chess" (sounds really compelling, right?) and millions of people think it's actually sung by The Pet Shop Boys. They are all wrong.

4. Billy Joel, "Vienna"


Billy Joel, this is one of the reasons you landed so many chicks from 1975-1985.

5. Sufjan Stevens, "Jacksonville"


This man is a genius. He wrote an entire set of songs just about every state, and here's Florida's tribute. Enjoy.

6. Lily Allen, LDN


The vowels are missing, but here's the second European contender.

7. Nas, "New York State of Mind"


Nas, before he broke up with Kelis, had a separate house in GA, used specifically for them getting it on, in order to cut down on noise violations in the Buckhead area of ATL. Tragically, ironic, now that THEY actually live in separate houses.

8. Orishas, "Represent Cuba"


Mira, una cancion representando Cuba (no clue if I wrote that in any way correctly).

9. Band of Horses, "The Great Salt Lake"


Band of Horses, great band, great songs, great names for their great songs.

10. Bob Dylan (f. Johnny Cash, here) "Girl From the North Country"


As one internet commentator put it best: "It's hard to believe people watch cat videos when this is here."

Have a great week guys. Providing more for your musical edification later.