Glen Campbell (1936-2017) was a country singer who seemed to enjoy singing about U.S. cities. Besides "Galveston" released in 1969, Glen also had hits with "Wichita Lineman" from 1968 and "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" from 1967. "Galveston" was written by Jimmy Webb.
It was originally written as an anti-war song with the second verse: "Wonder if she could forget me/I'd go home if they would let me/Put down this gun/And go to Galveston."
2. "Allentown"
Answer: Billy Joel
Allentown is a blue collar city in Eastern Pennsylvania, and the third most populous city in the state. Billy Joel wrote and sang his song, "Allentown", on the "Nylon Curtain" album, released in 1982. Originally the song was called "Levittown", an area in Long Island near Joel's home.
After learning about the decline in the steel industry and its impact on the residents, he made the change in order to depict the frustrations of the middle class in the 20th century.
3. "Chattanooga Choo Choo"
Answer: Glenn Miller
Chattanooga is a city in Tennessee, located near the Appalachian Mountains. In 1941, Mack Gordon and Harry Warren wrote "Chattanooga Choo Choo", and the 'swing' tune was recorded by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra during the Big Band Era. It became the number one song on December 7, 1941 (coincidentally "a day that will live in infamy").
The song made history by becoming the first ever to receive a 'gold record', given out by RCA Victor in 1942.
4. "Battle of New Orleans"
Answer: Johnny Horton
In 1959, Johnny Horton sang the award winning tune "Battle of New Orleans", written by Jimmy Driftwood. It was based on a real event which occurred near the end of the War of 1812, pitting British soldiers against American troops in 1814. "Fired our guns and the British kep a-comin'/There wasn't nigh as many as there was a while ago/We fired once more and they begin to runnin'/On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico." The American soldiers prevailed.
5. "San Francisco"
Answer: Scott McKenzie
It's important to understand that the song "San Francisco" was released in 1967, at the height of the counter-culture, psychedelic, hippie era. The Haight-Ashbury neighborhood in San Francisco was the epicenter. The song included the parenthetical title "(Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)".
It was written by John Phillips (of The Mamas and the Papas) and sung by his former Journeyman band member Scott McKenzie. "Flower Power" at its finest.
6. "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"
Answer: Dionne Warwick
Moving down from San Francisco to Southern California, Dionne Warwick asked "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?". The song was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, two of the hottest song writers of the time. It was released in 1968, and led to Dionne Warwick's first Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
It was also her third consecutive Top Ten song, along with "(Theme from) Valley of the Dolls" and "I Say a Little Prayer".
7. "Tupelo Honey"
Answer: Van Morrison
The next song on our tour of U.S. cities is Tupelo, Mississippi. It is famous as the birthplace of "the King", Elvis Presley, as well as being a Civil War battle site. The song was written by Northern Irish singer, song writer Van Morrison ("Brown-eyed Girl"), and released in 1971. Actually, the song is not about Tupelo, the city, but rather the nectar collected by honeybees from the blossoms of the tupelo tree, found mainly in the wetlands of Georgia and Florida.
8. "Please Come to Boston"
Answer: Dave Loggins
"Please Come to Boston" is a song written and recorded by Dave Loggins. It was the first single on the album "Apprentice (in a Musical Workshop)" released in 1974. The song includes the line "I'm the number one fan of the man from Tennessee", i.e., Loggins' home state.
It reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100, and Dave was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
9. "Albuquerque"
Answer: Neil Young
"Albuquerque" was first released in 1975 on Neil Young's album "Tonight's the Night". He tells us that "Santa Fe is less than ninety miles away," with both located in New Mexico. Along with music's main themes of love and loss, this song seems to deal with the emptiness of fame. On a totally different note, we have Weird Al's "Albuquerque", released on the 1999 album "Running with Scissors".
At over eleven minutes, it was his longest and, perhaps, most annoying song to date.
10. "Streets of Philadelphia"
Answer: Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen wrote and sang the poignant song "Streets of Philadelphia" for the 1993 movie "Philadelphia". The song, like the Tom Hanks' film, speaks of the sadness and isolation of "wastin' away on the streets of Philadelphia". The film, directed by Jonathan Demme ("Silence of the Lambs"), specifically dealt with HIV/AIDS and the effect it has on the body and the mind.
The song won an Academy Award for Best Original Song, along with four Grammy Awards.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
