Songs About Cities & States

Ever since the advent of the motor car near the turn of last century, followed by the development of the interstate highway system in the mid fifties, American’s have been on the move. As the years progress, we’ve become even more of a “mobile” society, whether it be for the purpose of work or pleasure. Fast forward to 2009 ….. Lots of songs have been recorded over the last 100+ years honoring places, cities and states as well as small town America, generally where the singer(s) or band members grew up or spent many memorable years in ….. most are good, some not so much. The following list here reflects a large number of those cities, states and places in songs by a wide variety of recording artists. As always, a vast selection of genres of music as well as years have been included for you to choose from to create your ultimate playlist or cd to burn, be it for the purpose of your next road excursion, plane trip or simply to make your next work commute or errand runs a little more pleasant. I limited the list to songs which specifically named towns, cities and states in the title. They even included international cities also. Even a few countries were slipped in here for good measure. I doubt if there could ever be a complete list made but this should be a good enough selection to choose from. At the end of the long list below, I included a few bonus songs that didn’t name specific places in the title, but did mention a several city and place names throughout the lyrics, such as Johnny Cash’s “I’ve Been Everywhere” and David Bowie and Mick Jagger’s version of “Dancing In The Street”.

Enjoy 🙂

1. 4 To 1 In Atlanta – Tracy Byrd
2. 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) – Bruce Springsteen
3. 99 Miles From LA – Albert Hammond
4. 99 Miles From LA – Johnny Mathis
5. Abilene – George Hamilton IV
6. Acapulco – Johnny Duncan
7. Alabama Jubilee – Red Foley
8. Alberta Bound – Gordon Lightfoot 
9. Alberta Bound – Paul Brandt
10. Albuquerque – Weird Al Yankovic
11. All My Ex’s Live In Texas – George Strait
12. All The Gold In California – Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers
13. All The Way From Memphis – Mott The Hoople
14. All The Way To Reno (You’re Gonna Be A Star) – REM
15. Allegheny Moon – Patti Page
16. Allentown – Billy Joel
17. Amarillo By Morning – George Strait 
18. Amarillo Sky – Jason Aldean
19. Amsterdam – Coldplay
20. Amy’s Back In Austin – Little Texas
21. Anchorage – Michelle Shocked
22. Angel of Harlem – U2
23. Another Rainy Day In New York City – Chicago
24. April In Paris – Count Basie
25. April in Paris – Ella Fitzgerald
26. Arizona – Mark Lindsay 
27. Atlanta Blue – Statler Brothers
28. Atlanta Burned Again Last Night – Atlanta
29. Atlantic City – Bruce Springsteen
30. Austin – Blake Shelton
31. Back In The New York Groove – Ace Frehley
32. Bagpipes From Baghdad – Eminem
33. Bar In Bakersfield – Merle Haggard
34. Barcelona – Jewel
35. Battle of New Orleans – Johnny Horton
36. Beaches of Cheyenne – Garth Brooks
37. Been To Canaan – Carole King
38. Berlin – Lou Reed
39. Beverly Hills – Weezer 
40. Big In Vegas – Buck Owens
41. Big Train From Memphis – John Fogerty
42. Blue Hawaii – Elvis Presley
43. Blue Kentucky Girl – Loretta Lynn
44. Bombs Over Baghdad – Outkast
45. Born In East LA – Cheech Marin
46. Boy From New York City – Ad Libs 
47. Boy From New York City – Manhattan Transfer
48. Brooklyn Roads – Neil Diamond
49. By The Time I Get To Phoenix- Glen Campbell 
50. Cabo San Lucas – Toby Keith
51. Calcutta – Lawrence Welk
52. California – Shawn Mullins 
53. California Dreamin ‘ – Mamas & The Papas 
54. California Girls – Beach Boys
55. California Nights – Lesley Gore
56. California Saga – Beach Boys 
57. California Soul – 5th Dimension
58. California Sun – Rivieras 
59. California Sun – Ramones
60. Callin’ Baton Rouge – Garth Brooks
61. Carmel By The Sea – Kitty Wells
62. Carolina In The Pines – Michael Martin Murphy
63. Chattahoochee – Alan Jackson
64. Chattanooga Choo Choo – Glen Miller
65. Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy – Red Foley
66. Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy – Frank Sinatra
67. Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy – Freddie Cannon
68. Chicago – Frank Sinatra
69. Chicago (We Can Change The World) – Graham Nash
70. Chicago Is So Two Years Ago – Fall Out Boy
71. China Grove – Doobie Brothers
72. Christmas In Fallujah – Billy Joel
73. Christmas In Hollis – Run DMC
74. Christmas in Killarney – Bing Crosby
75. Cincinnati Lou – Merle Travis
76. City of New Orleans – Arlo Guthrie
77. City of New Orleans – Willie Nelson
78. City of Night – Peter Schilling (Berlin)
79. Cleveland Rocks – Ian Hunter
80. Cleveland Rocks – Presidents of the United States (Drew Carry TV Show Theme)
81. Colorado Kool-Aid – Johnny Paycheck
82. Coming Into Los Angeles – Arlo Guthrie
83. Dallas – Alan Jackson
84. Denver – Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers
85. Detroit City – Bobby Bare
86. Detroit City – Tom Jones
87. Detroit Rock City – Kiss
88. Devil Went Down To Georgia – Charlie Daniels Band
89. Do You Know The Way To San Jose – Dionne Warwick
90. Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind – George Strait
91. Durham Town – Roger Whittaker
92. Eight More Miles To Louisville – Grandpa Jones
93. El Paso – Marty Robbins
94. El Paso City – Marty Robbins
95. England Swings – Roger Miller
96. Everyone I Meet Is From California – America
97. Eyes Of A New York Woman – BJ Thomas
98. Fort Worth, Dallas Or Houston – George Hamilton IV
99. Free Man In Paris – Joni Mitchell
100. Friend In California – Merle Haggard
101. Funky Nassau – The Beginning of The End
102. Galveston – Glen Campbell
103. Gary, Indiana – original cast (from the Broadway Musical “The Music Man” )
104. Georgia On My Mind – Ray Charles
105. Georgia On My Mind – Willie Nelson
106. Get Outta Denver – Bob Seger
107. Girl From Ipanema – Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto
108. God Blessed Texas – Little Texas
109. Going To California – Led Zeppelin
110. Goodnight Saigon – Billy Joel
111. Harlem Shuffle – Rolling Stones
112. Havana Daydreaming – Jimmy Buffet
113. Hawaii – Beach Boys
114. Hawaii Five-O – The Ventures
115. Hazard – Richard Marx
116. Heads Carolina, Tails California – JoDee Messina
117. Holiday In Cambodia – Dead Kennedys
118. Hollywood Nights – Bob Seger
119. Hollywood Swingin’ – Kool & The Gang
120. Honolulu LuLu – Jan & Dean
121. Hotel California – Eagles
122. Houston – Dean Martin
123. Houston (Means I’m One Day Closer To You) – Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers
124. Houston Solution – Ronnie Milsap
125. I Can Still Make Cheyenne – George Strait
126. I Guess The Lord Must Be In New York City – Nilsson
127. I Left My Heart In San Francisco – Tony Bennett
128. I Love LA – Randy Newman
129. I Wouldn’t Live In New York City (If They Gave Me The Whole Dang Town) – Buck Owens
130. If Hollywood Don’t Need You – Don Williams
131. If You’re Gonna Play In Texas (You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band) – Alabama
132. Indiana Wants Me – R. Dean Taylor
133. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) – They Might Be Giants
134. It Never Rains in Southern California – Albert Hammond
135. It’s All Down To Goodnight Vienna – Ringo Starr
136. I’ve Got A Gal In Kalamazoo – Glenn Miller
137. Jackson – Johnny Cash & June Carter
138. Jamaica Farewell – Harry Belafonte
139. Jersey Girl – Bruce Springsteen
140. Kansas City – Wilbert Harrison
141. Kansas City (Hey, Hey  Hey  Hey) – Beatles
142. Kansas City Song – Buck Owens
143. Kansas City Star – Roger Miller
144. Kashmir – Led Zeppelin
145. Katmandu – Bob Seger
146. Kentucky Gambler – Merle Haggard
147. Kentucky Rain – Elvis Presley
148. Kentucky Waltz – Eddy Arnold
149. Kentucky Woman – Deep Purple
150. Key Largo – Bertie Higgins
151. Kingston Town – UB40
152. Kokomo – Beach Boys
153. LA Freeway – Jerry Jeff Walker
154. La Grange – ZZ Top
155. LA International Airport – Susan Raye
156. LA To The Moon – Ronnie Milsap
157. LA Woman – The Doors
158. Lady Came From Baltimore – Tim Hardin
159. Landing In London (All I Think About Is You) – 3 Doors Down
160. Laredo – Chris Cagle
161. Last Train to Clarksville – The Monkees
162. Last Train To London – Electric Light Orchestra
163. Leavin’ Louisiana In The Broad Daylight – Oakridge Boys
164. Leaving Las Vegas – Sheryl Crow
165. Leaving New York – REM
166. Leningrad – Billy Joel
167. Lights of Albuquerque – Jim Glaser
168. (Lights Went Out In) Massachusetts – Bee Gees
169. Little Old Lady From Pasadena – Jan & Dean
170. Little Past Little Rock – Lee Ann Womack
171. Little Rock – Reba McEntire
172. Little Rock – Collin Raye
173. Lodi – Creedence Clearwater Revival
174. London – Third Eye Blind
175. London Bridge – Fergie
176. London Calling – The Clash
177. London Town – Pau McCartney & Wings
178. London’s Burning – The Clash
179. Long Haired Lover From Liverpool – Little Jimmy Osmond
180. Louisiana Man – Doug Kershaw
181. Louisiana Saturday Night – Mel McDaniel
182. Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man – Loretta Lynn & Conway Twitty
183. Luckenbach, Texas – Waylon Jennings
184. Malibu – Hole
185. Marina Del Rey – George Strait
186. Marrakesh Express – Crosby Stills & Nash
187. Maybe It Was Memphis – Pam Tillis
188. Meet Me In Montana – Dan Seals & Marie Osmond
189. Meet Me In St. Louis – Judy Garland
190. Memphis – Chuck Berry
191. Memphis – Johnny Rivers
192. Memphis Blues – WC Handy
193. Memphis Blues – Doc Watson
194. Memphis In The Meantime – John Hiatt
195. Mendocino – Sir Douglas Quintet
196. Mexicali Blues – The Grateful Dead
197. Miami – Will Smith
198. Miami, My Amy – Keith Whitley
199. Miami Vice Theme – Jan Hammer (Miami Vice TV Series)
200. Midnight In Montgomery – Alan Jackson
201. Midnight In Moscow – Kenny Ball & His Jazzmen
202. Midnight Train To Georgia – Gladys Knight & The Pips
203. Mill Valley – Miss Abrams & The Strawberry Point 4th Grade Class
204. Mississippi Moon – John Anderson
205. Mississippi Queen – Mountain
206. Mississippi Squirrel Revival – Ray Stevens
207. Montego Bay – Bobby Bloom
208. Monterey – Animals
209. Mull of Kyntire – Paul McCartney & Wings
210. My Home’s In Alabama – Alabama
211. My Kind of Town – Frank Sinatra (Chicago)
212. My Old Kentucky Home – traditional
213. Nashville – Liz Phair
214. Nashville Cats – Lovin’ Spoonful
215. Nebraska – Bruce Springsteen
216. New Orleans – Gary U.S. Bonds
217. New York Mining Disaster 1941 (Have You Seen My Wife, Mr. Jones) – Bee Gees
218. New York Minute – Don Henley
219. New York, New York – Frank Sinatra 
220. New York State of Mind – Billy Joel
221. Next Plane To London – Rose Garden
222. Next Plane To London – They Might Be Giants
223. Night Chicago Died – Paper Lace
224. Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia – Reba McEntire
225. Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia – Vicki Lawrence
226. North To Alaska – Johnny Horton
227. Oh Atlanta – Little Feat
228. Ohio – Crosby Stills Nash & Young
229. Okie From Muskogee – Merle Haggard
230. Old Cape Cod – Patti Page
231. Omaha – Moby Grape
232. On a Bus To St. Cloud – Trisha Yearwood
233. One Night in Bangkok – Murray Head
234. Only Living Boy In New York – Simon & Garfunkel
235. Paint Me A Birmingham – Tracy Lawrence
236. Panama – Van Halen
237. Passage To Bangkok – Rush
238. Philadelphia – Neil Young
239. Philadelphia Freedom – Elton John
240. Please Come To Boston – Dave Loggins 
241. Point Me In The Direction of Albuquerque – Partridge Family
242. Poor People of Paris – Les Baxter
243. Portland Oregon – Loretta Lynn & Jack White
244. Private Idaho – B-52’s
245. Queen of Memphis – Confederate Railroad
246. Reno – Doug Supernaw
247. Reno – Dottie West
248. Reno Bound – Southern Pacific
249. Rio – Duran Duran
250. Rivers Of Babylon – Boney M
251. Rivers Of Babylon – Sublime
252. Rainy Night In Georgia – Brook Benton
253. Rocky Mountain High – John Denver (Colorado)
254. Rocky Road To Dublin – Dropkick Murphys
255. Rocky Road To Dublin – Dubliners or Pogues (tradional Irish folk song)
256. Running Back To Saskatoon – The Guess Who
257. Saginaw, Michigan – Lefty Frizzell
258. Salt Lake City – Beach Boys
259. San Antonio Rose – Bob Wills
260. San Antonio Rose – Floyd Cramer
261. San Antonio Stroll – Tanya Tucker
262. San Francisco – The Mowgli’s 
263. San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) – Scott McKenzie
264. San Franciscan Nights – Animals
265. Santa Cruz – Papa Doo Run Run
266. Santa Cruz (You’re Not That Far) – The Thrills
267. Santa Fe – The Bellamy Brothers
268. Santa Monica – Everclear
269. Sausalito Summer Night – Diesel
270. Savannah Nights – Tom Johnston
271. Say Goodbye To Hollywood – Billy Joel
272. Seattle – Perry Como
273. Shanghai Breezes – John Denver
274. Shuffle Off To Buffalo – Hal Kemp
275. Sidewalks of New York – Mitch Miller & The Gang
276. Sioux City Sue – Bing Crosby
277. Spanish Harlem – Aretha Franflin
278. Spanish Harlem – Ben E. King
279. St. Louis Blues – Louis Armstrong
280. St. Louis Boogie – Pete Johnson
281. St. Louis Gal – Bessie Smith
282. Starkville City Jail – Johnny Cash
283. Statesboro Blues – Allman Brothers
284. Still In Saigon – Charlie Daniels Band
285. Stranger In Moscow – Michael Jackson
286. Starwood In Aspen – John Denver
287. Streets of Bakersfield – Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens
288. Streets of Laredo – Marty Robbins
289. Streets of Miami – Allan Sherman
290. Streets of Philadelphia – Bruce Springsteen
291. Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again – Bob Dylan
292. Summer In Berlin – Alphaville
293. Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
294. Take Me Back To Chicago – Chicago
295. Take Me Home Country Roads – John Denver (West Virginia)
296. Tallahassee Lassie – Freddy Cannon
297. Tell Me Something Bad About Tulsa – George Strait
298. Tennessee Flat Top Box – Rosanne Cash
299. Tennessee Homesick Blues – Dolly Parton
300. Tennessee River – Alabama
301. Tennessee Saturday Night – Red Foley
302. Tennessee Stud – Eddy Arnold
303. Tennessee Waltz – Patti Page
304. Texarkana – REM
305. Texarkana Baby – Eddy Arnold
306. Texas In My Rear View Mirror – Mac Davis
307. Texas Playboy Rag – Bob Wills
308. Texas State of Mind – David Frizzell & Shelly West
309. Texas Women – Hank Williams Jr.
310. There Is No Arizona – Jamie O’Neal
311. This Ain’t Dallas – Hank Williams Jr.
312. Tijuana Taxi – Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass
313. TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia) – MFSB featuring The Three Degrees
314. The Tulsa Shuffle – The Tractors
315. Tulsa Time – Don Williams
316. Tulsa Time – Eric Clapton
317. Tupelo Blues – John Lee Hooker
318. Tupelo Honey – Van Morrison
319. Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa – Gene Pitney
320. Ventura Highway – America
321. Vienna – Billy Joel
322. Vienna – Ultravox
323. Vienna Calling – Falco
324. Viva Las Vegas – Elvis Presley
325. Waking Up In Vegas – Katy Perry
326. Walking In Memphis – Bruce Springsteen
327. Walking In Memphis – Marc Cohn 
328. Walking To New Orleans – Fats Domino
329. Waltz Across Texas – Ernest Tubb
330. Waterloo – Abba
331. Way Down Yonder In New Orleans – Freddy Cannon
332. We Built This City – Jefferson Starship (San Francisco)
333. Werewolves of London – Warren Zevon
334. What Made Milwaukee Famous – Rod Stewart
335. What Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out of Me) – Jerry Lee Lewis
336. When It’s Spring Time In Alaska – Johnny Horton
337. White Cross On Okinawa – Bob Wills
338. Wichita Lineman – Glen Campbell
339. Wild Montana Skies – John Denver & Emmylou Harris
340. Witch Queen of New Orleans – Redbone
341. WKRP In Cincinati (MainTheme) – Steve Carlisle (WKRP In Cincinati TV Theme)
342. WKRP In Cincinati (Closing Theme) – Jim Ellis  (WKRP In Cincinati TV Theme)
343. Woman from Tokyo – Deep Purple
344. Wrong Side of Memphis – Trisha Yearwood
345. Yellow Rose of Texas – Ernest Tubb
346. Yellow Rose of Texas – Mitch Miller & The Gang
347. You’re From Texas – Bob Wills
348. You’re The Reason God Made Oklahoma – David Frizzell & Shelly West

BONUS ….. Honorable Mention:

Even though there is no city, state or country name in the title, there are several references to multiple “places” throughout the song lyrics.

1. All Over The World – Electric Light Orchestra
2. Dancing In The Street – David Bowie & Mick Jagger
3. Heart of Rock & Roll – Huey Lewis & The News
4. I’ve Been Everywhere – Hank Snow/Johnny Cash
5. Ramblin’ Man – Allman Brothers Band
6. Rock’n Me – Steve Miller Band
7. Route 66 – Nat King Cole/Chuck Berry/Depeche Mode
8. Surfin’ USA – Beach Boys
9. This Land Is Your Land – Kingston Trio/Peter, Paul & Mary
10. Travelin’ Man – Ricky Nelson
11. Wanted Man – Johnny Cash
12. Where I Come From – Alan Jackson