what do you think? Are we full of ourselves? There are about 400 songs about California alone, the entire music industry almost ain't big enough to put the ego of that state into lyrics. I can't imagine somebody constantly singing a song about Tehran or Paris or someplace it would just sound retarded. But our great musicians in America keep geting away with this.
Do Americans love to sing about themselves/their state?
- Thread starter BigTremor
- Start date
What is the poll for?
I don't necessarily think that musicians sing about California because of some state ego. I think there are two main reasons for it:
1. A lot of musicians live in California at some point in their careers because they feel that's where they need to go to be a part of "the industry." So, many of them have experience living in the state so its the easiest place to sing about. I would think songwriters also mainly live in California. And if coming to California was what helped the artist/band "make it big," then they are going to have pretty positive feelings about the state.
2. As has been true since the Gold Rush, California has a lot of myth associated with it. Living in California, most of us don't go around talking about how great our state is (the California thread in Misc. not included!
), it's just home. But when I have gone to other states and tell people I am from California, they immediately conjure up some strange idea of what life is like. That it's some magical fairytale land where we all live on the beach and it never snows or rains. I've also had people ask me how many celebrities I've lived near or met...that would be none. My point is that there is a mythical personality to California which makes it an easy place to write songs about. People who actually live in the state know that you don't go cruising to the beach in your convertible to go surfing while watching hot chicks in string bikinis on the beach every day, but if other people want to believe that California is a great paradise, then it makes a great song subject. Everyone wants to believe that a paradise exists.
So those are the reasons I have. California has a big personality associated with it, so it gets sung about. Much like many country songs talk about Texas, another state with a big personality. Sadly a state like North Dakota doesn't have much of a personality for anyone to write a song about it and then have the country immediately understand the meaning and feeling that you are trying to convey. Songs about surfer dudes in California we can all understand (whether it's true or not).
1. A lot of musicians live in California at some point in their careers because they feel that's where they need to go to be a part of "the industry." So, many of them have experience living in the state so its the easiest place to sing about. I would think songwriters also mainly live in California. And if coming to California was what helped the artist/band "make it big," then they are going to have pretty positive feelings about the state.
2. As has been true since the Gold Rush, California has a lot of myth associated with it. Living in California, most of us don't go around talking about how great our state is (the California thread in Misc. not included!
), it's just home. But when I have gone to other states and tell people I am from California, they immediately conjure up some strange idea of what life is like. That it's some magical fairytale land where we all live on the beach and it never snows or rains. I've also had people ask me how many celebrities I've lived near or met...that would be none. My point is that there is a mythical personality to California which makes it an easy place to write songs about. People who actually live in the state know that you don't go cruising to the beach in your convertible to go surfing while watching hot chicks in string bikinis on the beach every day, but if other people want to believe that California is a great paradise, then it makes a great song subject. Everyone wants to believe that a paradise exists.So those are the reasons I have. California has a big personality associated with it, so it gets sung about. Much like many country songs talk about Texas, another state with a big personality. Sadly a state like North Dakota doesn't have much of a personality for anyone to write a song about it and then have the country immediately understand the meaning and feeling that you are trying to convey. Songs about surfer dudes in California we can all understand (whether it's true or not).
What's your favorite "were full of ourselves" tune
?
I agree "Texas" is very under represented in this poll. "I Like Texas" - Pat Green, "Brownsville Girl" - Bob Dylan, "San Antonio Rose" - Willie Nelson, "Proud to be an A-hole from El Paso" - Kinky Friedman, "T For Texas" - Jimmie "Rodgers, Heaven, Hell Or Houston" - ZZ Top, "That's Right You're not from Texas" - Lyle Lovet...just to name a few. I've a feeling Sinatra had a tune about Texas because one of his gimmicks was he almost had a song for every place in the States
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You could add No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn and Streets of Philadelphia to that list
Then again, when you consider the vast number of songs made, it's not that bad. Britain has Ferry Across the Mersey and Waterloo Sunset, so they do sing about cities as well (Liverpool and London).
Then again, when you consider the vast number of songs made, it's not that bad. Britain has Ferry Across the Mersey and Waterloo Sunset, so they do sing about cities as well (Liverpool and London).
I can imagine it pretty easily. I'm sure most songs about Paris are in French, but it is such a historic city with such a romantic reputation, I'll bet there are zillions of songs about it.
Composers write about what is important to them personally, and people are personally affected by where they live. It's normal.
I don't think it works that way, if you listen to French music most of it isn't in French. If you were in Paris now and turned on the radio you would find the top 5 radio tunes to be
1Madonna
2Beyonce
3Blink 182
4Perhaps a French imitation of Beyonce
5Maybe just maybe, in 5th place you might find a French band singing in French lyrics
Most Euro-Pop songs are actually in English and not their native language. Vanessa Paradis, ABBA, Enya, Rammstein, Lordi. It can get worse of course when you've got that rave/techno stuff from Europe which has absolutely no lyrics whatsoever. Italians and their music seem different, they usually sing in their own language with some classical influence rather than sounding like an copycat of some MTV video.
btw
you should check out this trainwreck called 'Eurovision' if you want to see what's worse than Americanidol
But I think it's that way in most countries. Japan is really the only non-English speaking country with it's own diverse, well-established pop-music culture and is now number two in size behind the United States.
And to that effect, "Tokyo" is a very common song name--Yoshioka Yui probably has the most recognizable one. There's also countless other songs with Tokyo, Yokohama, Nippon, etc in the title.
I dunno, the last time I was in France I heard an awful lot of French pop music being played all over the place.
Ya left off my favorites: Sweet Home Chicago and Georgia on My Mind. 
And what about Led Zepplin's Going to California?
Route 66?
You've barely scratched the surface.
And what about Led Zepplin's Going to California?
Route 66?
You've barely scratched the surface.
I prefer the original "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" by Billy Joel.
--Ted
--Ted
Bruce, deserves to be on that list, but for New Jersey, Not Philly.
Bon Jovi could be added to the list, since their from Jersey and named an album "New Jersey".
Bon Jovi could be added to the list, since their from Jersey and named an album "New Jersey".
Bruce, deserves to be on that list, but for New Jersey, Not Philly.
HERE, HERE!
Bruce is all ABOUT being from Jersey. It is his frakkin' identity. Pick another song for Philly. Because The Boss is a Jersey boy. No ifs, ands or buts. Anyone who listens to him for more than 10 minutes knows that!
And I too cannot believe they left out Georgia On My Mind. Or for that matter, Rainy Night in Georgia.
Beat-up little seagull
On a marble stair
Tryin' to find the ocean
Lookin' everywhere
Hard times in the city
In a hard town by the sea
Ain't nowhere to run to
There ain't nothin' here for free
Hooker on the corner
Waitin' for a train
Drunk lyin' on the sidewalk
Sleepin' in the rain
And they hide their faces
And they hide their eyes
'Cause the city's dyin'
And they don't know why
Oh, Baltimore
Man, it's hard just to live
Oh, Baltimore
Man, it's hard just to live, just to live
Get my sister Sandy
And my little brother Ray
Buy a big old wagon
Gonna haul us all away
Livin' in the country
Where the mountain's high
Never comin' back here
'Til the day I die
Oh, Baltimore
Man, it's hard just to live
Oh, Baltimore
Man, it's hard just to live, just to live
WOOOO-HOOOO!!!! We rock!
On a marble stair
Tryin' to find the ocean
Lookin' everywhere
Hard times in the city
In a hard town by the sea
Ain't nowhere to run to
There ain't nothin' here for free
Hooker on the corner
Waitin' for a train
Drunk lyin' on the sidewalk
Sleepin' in the rain
And they hide their faces
And they hide their eyes
'Cause the city's dyin'
And they don't know why
Oh, Baltimore
Man, it's hard just to live
Oh, Baltimore
Man, it's hard just to live, just to live
Get my sister Sandy
And my little brother Ray
Buy a big old wagon
Gonna haul us all away
Livin' in the country
Where the mountain's high
Never comin' back here
'Til the day I die
Oh, Baltimore
Man, it's hard just to live
Oh, Baltimore
Man, it's hard just to live, just to live
WOOOO-HOOOO!!!! We rock!
^ Who sings that?
Also, the poll should have given the option of choosing the Beach Boys' version of "California Dreamin'" 'cuz I vastly prefer it to the Mamas/Papas version (not only are the Beach Boys much better singers, their instrumentation was actually in tune ). It's definitely my favorite California song.
Also, the poll should have given the option of choosing the Beach Boys' version of "California Dreamin'" 'cuz I vastly prefer it to the Mamas/Papas version (not only are the Beach Boys much better singers, their instrumentation was actually in tune
). It's definitely my favorite California song.
