Monday, April 12, 2010

Chicago pre-trip #6: Songs about Chicago

There are more songs about Chicago than there are, say, broken hearts for every light on Broadway.

Many of them are blues. Many of them are depressing. A surprising number involve getting a gun and killing someone - your friend, enemy, family member, etc.

Why, you can see a whole list of them on Wikipedia, right here. You can also put them on your iPod for, if not the soundtrack of your life, the soundtrack of the trip of your life.

My favorites:

1. Jim Croce - Bad, Bad Leroy Brown


Meaner than Oprah?

2. David Sanborn - Chicago Song


The windy city blows!

3. Elvis Presley - In the Ghetto


Couldn't you trade in that white suit to help the helpless child...in the ghetto?

4. Frank Sinatra - My Kind of Town


Witty banter, anyone?

5. Sufjan Stevens - Chicago


I made a lot of mistakes. I made a lot of mistakes. Keep making them. Repeat mantra.

6. Common/Kanye West - Southside


It's like I have a twin.

7. Count Basie - Going to Chicago Blues


One depressing song about Chicago. Ha, ha, ha! Two depressing songs about Chicago. Ha, ha, ha, ha! Etc.

8. Rolling Stones - Hitch Hike


The last time Jagger hitchhiked was when he wrote this song.

9. Robert Johnson - Sweet Home Chicago


The guy sells his soul to the devil, and all he gets is a stupid T-shirt.

10. Paul Butterfield - Born in Chicago


"Son, you'd better get a gun." Good parenting, dad.

8 comments:

  1. Great tunes. As a tuneup, when leaving Wisconsin, you can add The Everly Brothers song "Illinois" from their outstanding album Roots.

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  2. I forgot all about that one. Classic!

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  3. This one came to mind as well:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCCO7qQ8EK8&feature=related

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  4. I second the motion in favour of Wilco's excellent noise-rock experiment, "Via Chicago" (off Summerteeth, 1999.)

    If only for that opening line alone: "I dreamed about killing you again last night, and it felt all right to me."

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  5. Thankfully no one is suggesting a soundtrack consisting of songs BY THE BAND Chicago.

    At what point would suicide be a viable option?

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  6. What about the Chicago soundtrack? Wait- did you do that joke already?

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  7. I thought of that one, but there is no song about Chicago in Chicago. How ironic.

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  8. Check out this new skyscraper walking tour feature they have in Chicago !
    http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/theskyline/2010/04/point-shoot-and-learnnew-systems-lets-you-download-tour-information-about-great-chicago-skyscrapers-.html

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