Official City Songs

Pedestrian · #1 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 2:43 AM**

OK, we've done flags. Let's do official city songs; not popular songs naming the city or something. I believe I've seen previous threads like that. But I want what your city has officially adopted as its song.

In San Francisco, we actually had a contest for the song. Besides the winner, the runners up were "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "San Francisco; Be Sure To Wear Flowers in Your Hair"

But the winner and now the official city song was/is:

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Double L · #2 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 2:54 AM**

Houston's City Song was made at the same time as its City Flag. In 1915, there was a contest to design a city flag and make a city song. As a matter of fact, the song was completely forgotten. Preservation Houston, an organization preserving the cities history, had no clue the song existed. However, a man donated the very first Houston City Flag to the organization and with it, a recording of the cities first city song.

Here is the song.

https://vimeo.com/158253896

homebucket · #3 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 3:02 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pedestrian

OK, we've done flags. Let's do official city songs; not popular songs naming the city or something. I believe I've seen previous threads like that. But I want what your city has officially adopted as its song.

In San Francisco, we actually had a contest for the song. Besides the winner, the runners up were "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "San Francisco; Be Sure To Wear Flowers in Your Hair"

But the winner and now the official city song was/is:

• Video Link

I'm more partial to "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" mainly because it's played after every Giants home victory.

• Video Link

Steely Dan · #4 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 3:05 AM**

chicago does not have an official city song.

but if it did, it'd have to be the legendary blues standard "sweet home chicago".

runner up: "my kind of town" by Sinatra

Crawford · #5 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 3:11 AM**

I'd nominate San Francisco Days, by Chris Isaak. Very atmospheric song.

Pedestrian · #6 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 3:16 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by homebucket

I'm more partial to "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" mainly because it's played after every Giants home victory.

But it’s not official and the official one gets played at most city events. I am especially nostalgic to the days after the 1989 quake when the symphony and other performing arts organizations put on a lot of free entertainment, always involving the group singing of “San Francisco”.

And lets face it, the other popular entertainer associated with “San Francisco” was Judy Garland who is also an icon for a significant segment of the city’s population.

SIGSEGV · #7 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 5:36 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

chicago does not have an official city song.

but if it did, it'd have to be the legendary blues standard "sweet home chicago".

It probably should be made official... it's probably the only song most people would agree to. I like this rendition where Buddy Guy and BB King let some unknown singer help:

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That said, 2005 was also good year for songs with titles related to Chicago.

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Apparently, Illinois does have a state song, unbeknownst to me before today. It is predictably awful.

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craigs · #8 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 5:43 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by homebucket

I'm more partial to "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" mainly because it's played after every Giants home victory.

Agreed! Official or not, it's the tops.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crawford

I'd nominate San Francisco Days, by Chris Isaak. Very atmospheric song.

He dated my teenaged next door neighbor when I myself was a teen. His "atmosphere" in reality is a one-note retro creep. *shudder*

KevinFromTexas · #9 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 6:01 AM**

Despite being a big music city, I'm not sure that Austin has an official song. I mean, there are definitely movies that I think of that are the official Austin movie. Something like Slacker or Dazed and Confused, but I don't know that we have a song. If you go to Youtube and you search for songs about Austin, most of them are country songs and ones that I've never heard of before.

Oddly enough, this one here by Jimmy Fallon is pretty good, even if I wouldn't ever consider myself to be a country boy, I have to admit, this did make me smile when I saw him do his show here a couple of years ago.

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As for something that mentions Austin, or rather, Travis County, I'd have to say Gary Clark Jr.'s "Travis County" is what I probably think of, not so much because of what he's talking about, but because Gary Clark Jr. is a hometown guitar hero. He was also playing in that Sweet Home Chicago video that SIGSEGV posted.

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YourBuddy · #10 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 6:07 AM**

I don’t know if there is a singular song for Minneapolis but the “Minneapolis Sound” is very important to the cities. So many songs from Prince, Morris Day, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, etc... something very special about hearing that sound when you are in Minneapolis.

KevinFromTexas · #11 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 6:13 AM**

I love Buddy Guy. I've seen him a few times. The last time I saw him at a big outdoor concert here, he hopped off the stage and walked down an aisle between the crowd while he played. He turns into a monster with a guitar.

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SIGSEGV · #12 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 7:18 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

I love Buddy Guy. I've seen him a few times. The last time I saw him at a big outdoor concert here, he hopped off the stage and walked down an aisle between the crowd while he played. He turns into a monster with a guitar.

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I enjoyed this New Yorker article about him: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...he-blues-alive (but probably you've already read it if you're a fan...)

iheartthed · #13 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 2:37 PM**

Kanye West's "Homecoming" should get some consideration for Chicago's anthem:

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iheartthed · #14 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 2:46 PM**

I think we would all agree that the two "official" songs for New York City are Sinatra's "New York, New York" and Jay-Z's (feat. Alicia Keys) "Empire State of Mind".

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iheartthed · #15 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 2:51 PM**

Detroit's "official" song is "Hello, Detroit" by Sammy Davis, Jr.

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Steely Dan · #16 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 2:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Kanye West's "Homecoming" should get some consideration for Chicago's anthem:

sure, maybe some consideration, but it doesn't come anywhere remotely close to touching "sweet home chicago" as the city's unofficial "official anthem".

no song does or likely ever will.

and part of it is because "sweet home chicago" is not a song that's tied to any one single performer's rendition of it or any one single period of time.

it is a universal song, with real staying power, that has been recorded and performed by god only knows how many thousands of musicians over the past century.

chicagoans will still be singing "sweet home chicago" 100 years from now.

kanye's "homecoming"?

we'll see....... but i'm not holding my breath.

MolsonExport · #17 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 3:00 PM**

Unofficial, by a Brit

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something more homegrown. With Soul Train dancers.

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Acajack · #18 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 3:17 PM**

Song for Ottawa, Canada's capital ci-i-ty (as she sings it).

This was the result of a contest. Long forgotten I think. Not sure if the current mayor and councillors could hum the tune.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giQ0dRcTATk

MolsonExport · #19 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 3:33 PM**

Absolutely cringe-worthy with horribly-bad lyrics

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mrnyc · #20 Posted **Apr 9, 2021, 4:11 PM**

i dk about official, but unofficial is easy enough...and fittingly annoying enough...for cleveland...3,4!:

https://youtu.be/GM-IEMlJyak

cincinnati fares much better with the forever cool scott walker:

https://youtu.be/46yBoVhJtSM