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musical world tour

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Musical World Tour: San Francisco

By Tom Hawking on

Every Friday, we take a look at the way various cities from around the world have been depicted in song, choosing five of our favorites about a given location. Having spent the last month across the Atlantic, we’re heading back to USA for a few weeks, and starting on the west coast this time. Specifically, we’re going to San Francisco, a city with a particularly fruitful musical heritage, and a place that’s been immortalized in song more times than you can poke a stick at. As ever, this isn’t meant to be a definitive list of the best songs ever about the city, just a selection of our personal favorites — and suggestions are always welcome. … Read More

Music

Musical World Tour: Dublin

By Tom Hawking on

Every Friday, we take a look at the way various cities from around the world have been depicted in song, choosing five of our favorites about a given city. For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been on the other side of the Atlantic, visiting various locations in the UK — and this week we’re skipping across the Irish Sea to Dublin, Ireland’s capital city and the home to about a bazillion great bands over the years. As ever, this isn’t meant to be a definitive list of the best songs ever about the city, just a selection of our personal favorites — and suggestions are always welcome. … Read More

Music

Musical World Tour: Liverpool

By Tom Hawking on

One final stop in England (for now, at least) on our ongoing musical world tour: Merseyside, which has long been a hotbed of UK musical talent, from a band called The Beatles (you may have heard of them) through post-punk icons like Echo & the Bunnymen and The Teardrop Explodes to more recent types like The Zutons and Ladytron. So, as ever, we’re choosing our five favorite songs about the city — this isn’t meant to be a definitive list, but rather a personal selection, and suggestions are always welcome. … Read More

Music

Musical World Tour: Manchester

By Tom Hawking on

It’s grim up north, or so they say. But like a lot of cold, rainy places, Manchester — where our musical world tour stops this week — has bred a surfeit of fantastic music, and not all of it somber or reflective (just look at the slap-happy 1980s Madchester explosion, which although it bred surprisingly few songs about the city, was still deeply infused with the spirit of the place). Anyway, as ever on a Friday afternoon, we’ve chosen five of our favorite songs about the city. This isn’t a definitive list by any means, and your suggestions are always welcome. Have at it, lad. … Read More

Music

Musical World Tour: London

By Tom Hawking on

We’ve rather enjoyed choosing our favorite songs about a different city every Friday. But thus far we’ve only looked at cities in the US — namely New York, Chicago, and Detroit — so this week we’re hopping on a plane and heading across the water to Europe. Our first stop on the other side of the Atlantic: London. Of course, England’s capital has had innumerable songs written about it, and as ever, this isn’t some futile attempt to define the “five best” — it’s just our five favorites. What are yours? … Read More

Music

Musical World Tour: Detroit

By Tom Hawking on

Last week it was Chicago, and this week we’re staying in the vicinity of Great Lakes and heading a couple of hundred miles east to Detroit. The Motor City, of course, has a long and proud musical history. Amongst other things, it was the HQ of Motown Records, the birthplace of Detroit techno, and home to a load of fantastic bands — everyone from the Stooges to the White Stripes (who were, lest we forget, fairly awesome for at least their first three records). This all means that there’s about a gazillion songs about the city — as ever, though, we’re just picking five of our favorites, which await you after the jump. What’d be on your list? … Read More

Music

Musical World Tour: The Best Songs About Chicago

By Tom Hawking on

Last week we started a semi-regular feature wherein we look at how different cities have been immortalized in song over the years, from celebratory anthems to warts-and-all depictions of seedy urban underbellies and the dark corners where good folks just don’t venture. We got some excellent suggestions and feedback from our readers when we started the idea right here in New York City, and this week we head to the Midwest to choose our five favorite songs about Chicago. Let us know your suggestions after the jump! … Read More

Music

Musical World Tour: The Best Songs About New York City

By Tom Hawking on

Not so long ago, we were listening to M83′s glorious Dead Cities, Red Seas and Lost Ghosts album. The album’s not heavy on lyrics, but its widescreen soundscapes definitely reflect its evocative, dramatic title, and it got us thinking about the manifold different ways the world’s great cities have been immortalized in song — and about how different cities have inspired very different musical tributes. In view of this, we figured that it’d be an interesting idea to do a semi-regular series wherein we choose our five favorite songs about a particular city. The first stop on our whistlestop world tour? Why, right here at Flavorpill central in New York City. Hop on board after the jump. … Read More