Geography Playlist 13: Cities (non-specific)
- jamesgeraghty
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Once in a while, I hear a song I either haven't ever heard before, or haven't heard in ages - and I think to myself - 'I really need to put that in a playlist'.
Since all of our playlists have to be themed (it's the law), it is then a process of contriving something that fits the chosen song. Our Geography series of playlists has spawned many songs relating to actual countries and cities (and towns), but the song in question this time was about a non-specific city.
Now, in the end, some of the songs in here are really about real places, they just don't name check them in the title, but many of these really are just about a city in general.
1. Jan & Dean: Surf City
Surf City is of course the place where there are, somewhat unfairly, "two girls for every boy". It is a fictitious place from the genius pop writing mind of Brian Wilson, who co-wrote it with the band's Jan Berry. Looking back, we might think that in 1963-64, the Beach Boys dominated the surf song scene, but this was, in fact, the first surfing song to hit number one in the U.S. (1963). The recording seems to have included a raft of the greatest session musicians of the time, including Hal Blaine, Earl Palmer, Ray Pohlman and Glen Campbell. It may have been fictional to begin with, but in 1991, Dean Torrance (the other one) convinced the politicians of Huntington Beach, California, that it should be nicknamed Surf City USA - which they then got trademarked.
Surf City (TV appearance, 1963)
2. Mitski: Brand New City
It feels like American songwriter Mitski burst onto the scene only fairly recently, but her career extends back to 2012, when she self-released her debut album Lush. And it is on that record, made while she was still studying at SUNY's Conservatory of Music, that we find Brand New City. Although she has moved through an array of musical genres across her career to date, her early work has an orchestral chamber pop feel to it.
Brand New City (audio only)
3. The Black Keys: Meet Me In The City
In 2006, Ohian rockers The Black Keys released a tribute album to the bluesman Junior Kimbrough. They weren't strangers to his work, having already covered Do The Rump on their 2002 debut The Big Come Up, and Everywhere I Go for follow up album, Thickfreakness. But the LP Chulahoma consisted of eight songs all written by Kimbrough, including this lovely, soulful rendition of Meet Me In The City.
Meet Me In The City (audio only)
4. Gorillaz: Magic City
2018s The Now Now doesn't have the huge wealth of guest artists that previous Gorillaz records had included. Instead it takes a fairly simplistic new wave / synth pop sound, and features only three special guest artists - George Benson, Snoop Dogg and Jamie Principle - although none of them are on this extremely laid back track (that's not quite true - Damon Albarn's Blur bandmate Graham Coxon does add some extra guitar to this one). Either way, it still gave them a Top 10 album on both sides of the Atlantic.
Magic City (official visualiser)
5. Billy Idol: Hot In The City
This was the first single from the self-titled debut album by the former Generation X leader, Billy Idol. Videos for this, and White Wedding, got him plenty of airtime on the fledgling MTV network. While this might not have sat well with his old punk fans, it helped propel him to a new audience and success as a solo artist.
Hot In The City (official music video - and no, I'm not sure why he's licking the guitar either)
6. Guns n Roses: Paradise City
Paradise City is unique among songs on global smash Appetite For Destruction, in that it features a synthesiser! That didn't seem to slow it down though, as one of the 80s most iconic rock songs smashed into the Top 10 in both U.S. and the UK. Writing it seems to have been an all round band effort, as the basic song structure and some of the lyrics, came about in the back of a van as they returned home from a gig in San Francisco. There are some resemblances to tunes by their key influence, Hanoi Rocks, and original Rocks guitarist Nasty Suicide (Jan-Markus Stenfors) appears in the music video. Former bandmate and L.A. Gun, Tracii Guns (not his real name), also noted its influence from the Black Sabbath tune, Zero The Hero.
Paradise City (official music video)
7. Siouxsie & The Banshees: Cities In Dust
This was the lead single from the 1985 Siouxsie & The Banshees record, Tinderbox. It is a bit of a dance-rock take on the volcanic destruction, and victims, of Pompeii in 79AD. It is a little dark and chilling (weird given the themes) and seems to have been seen as something of a return to form for the band, with NME saying it recaptured "the wondrous hypnotic pop of the Banshees' greatest singles era."
Cities In Dust (official music video)
8. U2: City Of Blinding Lights
There is a career filled feel to City Of Blinding Lights, and perhaps with good reason. Although it was a 2005 single from How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, it is based on an earlier version first emanating from the 1997 sessions for Pop (and first called Scott Walker). It recalls the band's first trips to London, but also when they played New York City soon after 9/11. It includes imagery of lost innocence, reflections by Bono to his younger self, and all with a sound that brings back images of mid-80s U2.
City Of Blinding Lights (live in Pasadena, 2009)
9. The Go-Betweens: Here Comes A City
This opens up what would sadly be the last Go-Betweens record, 2005's Oceans Apart. Barely a year after its release, co-founder and co-songwriter, Grant McLennan would suffer a heart attack and die at his Brisbane home. It was extra sad, as being the third of LP of the reformed era band, it was a record that critics felt was more than comparable with their highly regarded late 80s output. Here Comes A City is a fast driving song, looking at urban life through the eyes of a traveller, coupled with a reflection of a shifting relationship.
Here Comes A City (official music video)
10. Talking Heads: Cities
If you ever needed proof that Tina Weymouth is one of the most wonderful, kick ass, funky bassists of the last few generations, then look (or listen) no further than Cities. It is a song about a person looking for a city to live in, and sits nicely on third album, Fear Of Music, segueing perfectly into the equally fantastic Life During Wartime.
Cities (live from the legendary Stop Making Sense show, 1983)
11. Simple Minds: Theme For Great Cities
It's not often that a rock instrumental grabs my attention, and not the fast forward button. Simple Minds recorded so much material that they loved in their 1981 sessions, that it warranted two simultaneously released albums which differ slightly thematically; Sons & Fascination packed some sinister funk and angular synth-pop, while Sister Feelings Call, though still full of punchy synths and bass rhythms, had an undercurrent of brooding, lush orchestral tones. From that latter record comes Themes, with Mick McNeil's epic, eerie, spacey keyboard lines, punctuated by Charlie Burchill's swirly guitars, being what initially grabs you - but it is actually the rhythm section that is fundamental to this song; one of original drummer Brian McGee's last (and best) contributions before his departure, coupled with the ever incredible Derek Forbes on bass, laying down a scintillating and pulsating core to the tune.
Theme For Great Cities (audio only)
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