these songs will make you want to travel
or yearn for home welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 songs
about cities and towns
this list we’ve chosen songs based on a
mix of their popularity or iconic status
as well as their quality company
sweetness
we focused on those in which the name of
the city or town is in the title and
that’s why you won’t be seeing jay-z’s
Empire State of Mind we’re also making
sure that the tunes are actually related
to the city or town in question and are
not being used as a metaphor for
something else like Duran Duran’s Rio
number ten walking in Memphis mark cone
put on my blue suede shoes boarded the
plane
touchdown
if you’ve ever gone through a midlife
crisis that required a bit of
soul-searching
you probably listen to this song more
than a few times but do you feel the way
I feel
based on the singers own experience of
traveling through blue city walking in
Memphis tells of Marc Cohn’s claims to
have felt a spiritual awakening within
the four walls of an off-road diner be
glad to see you when you haven’t got a
track with its emotional piano-based
sound the top 20 soft rocker set cone on
the path to win the Grammy for Best new
artists the next year
walking with my feet 10 feet off a beer
number nine one night in Bangkok Marie
head Bangkok Oriental sitting in the
city don’t know what the city is getting
the creme de la creme from the chest
well did a show with everything Yul
Brynner written by Tim Rice and Abbas
Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus for
their musical chess one night in Bangkok
was a pop and new wave smash for Murray
head on the outside its lyrics seemed to
be about a couple of chess players
meeting in the city to compete against
the backdrop of the sensual town Sian’s
gonna be the witness to the ultimate
test of cerebral fitness this grips me
more than what if you listen a little
more closely the lyrics also appear to
warn you about the Thai capitals
allegedly seedy rep don’t see you guys
ranging the kind of mate I’m
contemplating let you watch I wouldn’t
fight you but the Queen’s we use would
not excite you the song may not be the
ideal guidebook for your next trip but
it sure is good
you
can’t forget boo y’all come by me
number eight la woman the doors
junga look around
better to produce a song about Los
Angeles than her loyal champion is wrong
this song guides us through the streets
of LA and opens our minds to what sins
she has to offer
it’s also the first time we hear of mr.
mojo risin which is simply an anagram of
Jim Morrison’s name
as the title track to the album of the
same name the Blues and psychedelic rock
track features vocals recorded by the
doors frontman in their studio bathroom
but it’s the songs imagery and driving
rhythm that’s really got us hooked
you know
to say
number seven San Francisco be sure to
wear flowers in your hair Scott McKenzie
someone asked you for a musical
description of the summer of love
chances are you’ll play them this
psychedelic pop number
though we could have mentioned Tony
Bennett’s take on I left my heart in San
Francisco San Francisco to us it’s this
three-minute tune that perfectly
encapsulates San Fran at the height of
the hippie era
with a new explanation
written for the Monterey Pop Festival by
the Mamas & the Papas John Phillips and
featuring Scott Mackenzie’s tender
vocals and a dreamy atmosphere
it’s no wonder the song was a
chart-topper in the UK and a top 5 hit
in the US
Donna
number six to live and die in LA
Tupac featuring valium to living down
there like whatever you dig try too fat
now pockets muscle for the castle was
hard to knock another diehard champion
of the west coast Tupac brings out his
pride in the song he described as
California love part mother to living
down the lake oh my
released on the last album he recorded
before his murder to live and die in LA
famously includes a homophobic slur
against Dre though the radio version of
the song edited this out the single is
smooth and oh so Makaveli all the stores
the mama pop spots
number five streets of Philadelphia
Bruce Springsteen is bruised and
battered I could tell what I felt
unrecognizable to myself while the
bosses Atlantic City deserves a mention
it’s this slow classic written for the
1993 movie Philadelphia that lands here
only wasted we streets of Philly
as the only track on our list to win an
Oscar for Best Original Song the
multiple Grammy winner is a moody
masterpiece that captures what it feels
like to be walking the streets of
Philadelphia with a lot on your mind the
likes tall
voices of friends vanished and gone a
top 10 hit in the US streets of
Philadelphia also talked to many charts
around the world vapors kids
leave each other alone like this on the
streets
number four Detroit Rock City kiss
we might not realize it but embedded in
this hard rock and heavy metal tunes
catchy notes and fast-paced guitar riffs
are pretty somber lyrics based on actual
events in which a real kiss fan died in
a car crash on the way to the band’s
concert
the group was so moved by the horrific
situation that lyricists Bob Ezrin and
Paul Stanley adapted it into this fan
favorite
despite its subject matter Detroit Rock
City certainly rocks hard and fast and
makes us want to move our feet and leave
our seats
number three
London Calling The Clash
there have been many songs about London
over the years but none of them quite
stacks up to this punk rock classic
about the city in its many possible
states of disaster
from those first two instantly
recognizable notes to the final fade-out
London callings lyrics embody the social
fears of the time and true to any Punk
song the angst of discontented youth
with the undertones of satire
so a top 20 track in the UK it’s also
considered one of the clashes greatest
compositions another breath number two
Viva Las Vegas Elvis Presley gonna send
my set my god ascribing Sin City as the
place to drown your troubles in all the
bright lights pretty girls and slot
machines Viva Las Vegas continues to be
associated with the king despite the
fact he never performed it in concert
recorded for the Elvis Presley film of
the same name
rock’n’roll tune became one of his most
well known songs and has appeared in
multimedia formats
Viva Las Vegas where you’ll put the
unfashionable one urban discretion
almost hold down the drain and with its
flashy imagery upbeat pace and glamorous
depiction of Las Vegas is that really
such a big surprise
before we unveil our top pick here are a
few honorable mentions
here I’m taking a greyhound on the
Hudson River like some in the New York
state of mind
la la la
yeah
start spreading the news number one
theme from New York New York Frank
Sinatra I want to be a part of it
New York New York
though there are many contenders out
there no song quite captures the heart
and soul of a city like this one do you
here we are although the traditional pop
song was first recorded by Liza Minnelli
for the Martin Scorsese musical New York
New York the song became even more
recognizable when it was revamped into
the jazzy version by old blue eyes
two years later I want to wake up in a
city that doesn’t sleep the crooners
effortlessly smooth voice mixed with
those memorable lyrics makes it
impossible to resist joining in and
singing along if I can
take it there I’ll make
after all if we can make it there we can
make it anywhere
do you agree with our list which song
about a city or town is your favorite
for more entertaining top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com it’s up to you
or yearn for home welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top 10 songs
about cities and towns
this list we’ve chosen songs based on a
mix of their popularity or iconic status
as well as their quality company
sweetness
we focused on those in which the name of
the city or town is in the title and
that’s why you won’t be seeing jay-z’s
Empire State of Mind we’re also making
sure that the tunes are actually related
to the city or town in question and are
not being used as a metaphor for
something else like Duran Duran’s Rio
number ten walking in Memphis mark cone
put on my blue suede shoes boarded the
plane
touchdown
if you’ve ever gone through a midlife
crisis that required a bit of
soul-searching
you probably listen to this song more
than a few times but do you feel the way
I feel
based on the singers own experience of
traveling through blue city walking in
Memphis tells of Marc Cohn’s claims to
have felt a spiritual awakening within
the four walls of an off-road diner be
glad to see you when you haven’t got a
track with its emotional piano-based
sound the top 20 soft rocker set cone on
the path to win the Grammy for Best new
artists the next year
walking with my feet 10 feet off a beer
number nine one night in Bangkok Marie
head Bangkok Oriental sitting in the
city don’t know what the city is getting
the creme de la creme from the chest
well did a show with everything Yul
Brynner written by Tim Rice and Abbas
Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus for
their musical chess one night in Bangkok
was a pop and new wave smash for Murray
head on the outside its lyrics seemed to
be about a couple of chess players
meeting in the city to compete against
the backdrop of the sensual town Sian’s
gonna be the witness to the ultimate
test of cerebral fitness this grips me
more than what if you listen a little
more closely the lyrics also appear to
warn you about the Thai capitals
allegedly seedy rep don’t see you guys
ranging the kind of mate I’m
contemplating let you watch I wouldn’t
fight you but the Queen’s we use would
not excite you the song may not be the
ideal guidebook for your next trip but
it sure is good
you
can’t forget boo y’all come by me
number eight la woman the doors
junga look around
better to produce a song about Los
Angeles than her loyal champion is wrong
this song guides us through the streets
of LA and opens our minds to what sins
she has to offer
it’s also the first time we hear of mr.
mojo risin which is simply an anagram of
Jim Morrison’s name
as the title track to the album of the
same name the Blues and psychedelic rock
track features vocals recorded by the
doors frontman in their studio bathroom
but it’s the songs imagery and driving
rhythm that’s really got us hooked
you know
to say
number seven San Francisco be sure to
wear flowers in your hair Scott McKenzie
someone asked you for a musical
description of the summer of love
chances are you’ll play them this
psychedelic pop number
though we could have mentioned Tony
Bennett’s take on I left my heart in San
Francisco San Francisco to us it’s this
three-minute tune that perfectly
encapsulates San Fran at the height of
the hippie era
with a new explanation
written for the Monterey Pop Festival by
the Mamas & the Papas John Phillips and
featuring Scott Mackenzie’s tender
vocals and a dreamy atmosphere
it’s no wonder the song was a
chart-topper in the UK and a top 5 hit
in the US
Donna
number six to live and die in LA
Tupac featuring valium to living down
there like whatever you dig try too fat
now pockets muscle for the castle was
hard to knock another diehard champion
of the west coast Tupac brings out his
pride in the song he described as
California love part mother to living
down the lake oh my
released on the last album he recorded
before his murder to live and die in LA
famously includes a homophobic slur
against Dre though the radio version of
the song edited this out the single is
smooth and oh so Makaveli all the stores
the mama pop spots
number five streets of Philadelphia
Bruce Springsteen is bruised and
battered I could tell what I felt
unrecognizable to myself while the
bosses Atlantic City deserves a mention
it’s this slow classic written for the
1993 movie Philadelphia that lands here
only wasted we streets of Philly
as the only track on our list to win an
Oscar for Best Original Song the
multiple Grammy winner is a moody
masterpiece that captures what it feels
like to be walking the streets of
Philadelphia with a lot on your mind the
likes tall
voices of friends vanished and gone a
top 10 hit in the US streets of
Philadelphia also talked to many charts
around the world vapors kids
leave each other alone like this on the
streets
number four Detroit Rock City kiss
we might not realize it but embedded in
this hard rock and heavy metal tunes
catchy notes and fast-paced guitar riffs
are pretty somber lyrics based on actual
events in which a real kiss fan died in
a car crash on the way to the band’s
concert
the group was so moved by the horrific
situation that lyricists Bob Ezrin and
Paul Stanley adapted it into this fan
favorite
despite its subject matter Detroit Rock
City certainly rocks hard and fast and
makes us want to move our feet and leave
our seats
number three
London Calling The Clash
there have been many songs about London
over the years but none of them quite
stacks up to this punk rock classic
about the city in its many possible
states of disaster
from those first two instantly
recognizable notes to the final fade-out
London callings lyrics embody the social
fears of the time and true to any Punk
song the angst of discontented youth
with the undertones of satire
so a top 20 track in the UK it’s also
considered one of the clashes greatest
compositions another breath number two
Viva Las Vegas Elvis Presley gonna send
my set my god ascribing Sin City as the
place to drown your troubles in all the
bright lights pretty girls and slot
machines Viva Las Vegas continues to be
associated with the king despite the
fact he never performed it in concert
recorded for the Elvis Presley film of
the same name
rock’n’roll tune became one of his most
well known songs and has appeared in
multimedia formats
Viva Las Vegas where you’ll put the
unfashionable one urban discretion
almost hold down the drain and with its
flashy imagery upbeat pace and glamorous
depiction of Las Vegas is that really
such a big surprise
before we unveil our top pick here are a
few honorable mentions
here I’m taking a greyhound on the
Hudson River like some in the New York
state of mind
la la la
yeah
start spreading the news number one
theme from New York New York Frank
Sinatra I want to be a part of it
New York New York
though there are many contenders out
there no song quite captures the heart
and soul of a city like this one do you
here we are although the traditional pop
song was first recorded by Liza Minnelli
for the Martin Scorsese musical New York
New York the song became even more
recognizable when it was revamped into
the jazzy version by old blue eyes
two years later I want to wake up in a
city that doesn’t sleep the crooners
effortlessly smooth voice mixed with
those memorable lyrics makes it
impossible to resist joining in and
singing along if I can
take it there I’ll make
after all if we can make it there we can
make it anywhere
do you agree with our list which song
about a city or town is your favorite
for more entertaining top 10s published
every day be sure to subscribe to
watchmojo.com it’s up to you
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