The day is finally here! As I’ve said before, every big event in Ocean City has gotten bigger and bigger each week and we’ve finally reached the biggest town event of the year, Fourth of July weekend! If you thought the roads have been busy, just wait to see the hustle and bustle around town going on these few days. We celebrated the Fourth of July together last year with a list of songs with “red,” “white” or “blue” in the title, but I want to do things a little differently this year. I think it’s a good time to honor a few of the many great big cities in this country that make our culture unique and interesting. This week, I would like to share with you my six favorite songs with some of America’s greatest cities in the title. USA! USA!
“Walking in Memphis”
By: Marc Cohn
Off the album: Marc Cohn (1991)
Recognized for its roots in blues, soul, gospel and rock n’ roll (and also its Barbecue), Memphis, Tennessee, is one of the greatest examples of American life in the south. It’s the home of Sun Records, a record label responsible for launching the careers of musicians such as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash. Elvis’ own Graceland home is in this town as well. On the subject of Elvis, it’s often thought as a nod to him when Marc Cohn says in this song he’s putting on his “blue suede shoes.” However, this is actually a reference to the original song recorded by Carl Perkins at Sun Records. Don’t worry, the King of Rock and Roll does get his own mention later in the song.
“I’m Shipping Up to Boston”
By: The Dropkick Murphys
Off the album: The Warrior’s Code (2005)
Alright, we’re changing the tone a bit here, as Boston usually celebrates their heritage a little differently than everyone else; usually with some beer and a bit of a temper. This was the Boston-based band’s first big hit, and still remains their most popular song as it is routinely played at all Boston sports venues. Now here’s where your brain explodes: the lyrics were originally written by folk legend Woody Guthrie back in the day. It was years later that the Dropkick Murphys turned it into a wicked awesome song!
“Viva Las Vegas”
By: Elvis Presley
Wow, Elvis just can’t stay out of the spotlight! Despite this being one of Elvis’ most popular songs, he never performed this song live. The song was strangely only officially released as a single and it didn’t even make the cut on the movie’s soundtrack. Elvis had so many projects at the same time, albums were becoming backlogged and The King was forced to write and record songs quickly. The official soundtrack to the movie was only a four song EP that was one of Elvis’ worst performers on the charts (it didn’t help that he released this at the start of the British Invasion). At least some good came out of the release, as the EP’s cover that depicts Elvis in a racing costume became the direct influence of Japanese anime character Speed Racer.
“Hollywood Nights”
By: Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Off the album: Stranger in Town (1878)
According to Bob Seger himself, he came up with this song simply while driving around Hollywood Hills. The scenery pretty much wrote the song for him: “Hollywood nights, Hollywood hills, above all the lights.” After the chorus was stuck in his head, Seger drove home to write the rest of the song. He said there was a Time Magazine on his table with supermodel Cheryl Tiegs on the cover, so he decided the story would be about a guy from the Midwest who visits Hollywood and runs into someone like her.
“Theme from New York, New York”
By: Frank Sinatra
Off the album: Trilogy: Past Present Future (1980)
Trivia time! While this is arguably Sinatra’s most recognizable song, it’s actually a cover! The original was recorded by Liza Minnelli, who also starred alongside Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s 1977 musical drama “New York, New York.” Sinatra then recorded the song in 1979 for this album, and the style has led many to believe it was a classic of his for decades.
“L.A. Woman”
By: The Doors
Off the album: L.A. Woman (1971)
After experimenting with different sounds in their past couple of albums, The Doors went back to their roots and returned to the blues for what would end up being the band’s final release (as frontman Jim Morrison passed away less than three months after the album came out). Akin to many other strange recording processes by legendary musicians, Jim Morrison recorded his vocals for this song in his bathroom because he liked the natural reverb coming from its walls. And for those hard of hearing, the words Morrison is speaking at the end of the song are “Mr. Mojo Risin’,” which is an anagram of Jim Morrison.
