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50 songs for 50 states

Filed under: Imported

I caught a decent chunk of this on The Current yesterday and enjoyed the piss out of it. It was much much more than 50 songs. They should've skipped Delaware. You can listen to the whole damn beautiful thing here. Some songs I would have included:

1. "I've Been to Georgia on a Fast Train"-- Billy Joe Shaver

Admittedly Georgia is probably the toughest state in the union to pair down because there are so many damn good songs--why is that?--but this is one of my all time favorite redneck anthems.

2. "Girl From Immokalee" -- Raiford Starke                            

Yeah, nobody's ever heard of this dude. I don't think he ever plays outside Florida. The one album of his that I own isn't all that good, but this track--about a dude who loves a girl from Immokalee--kicks serious ass.

3. "Paradise" -- John Prine

Hands down the best song ever written about coal mining. (Take that Loretta Lynn"!) Kentucky's another state with a disproportionately large number of great songs. In fact the south as a whole is much more likely to inspire the musical muse of its inhabitants. This weekend at a bbq some folks were talking about how we might be better off if the South had triumphed in the Civil War. Now I realize that this kind of speculation is probably offensive for all sorts of reasons--and these people were obviously joking--but secession would definitely leave us a musically weaker country. It's something that should be considered if this secession talk gets serious.

4. "A Dying Cub Fan's Last Request" -- Steve Goodman

It'd have to be a live version. The song just doesn't work nearly as good in the studio. You need the audience response to fully appreciate Goodman's comic genius.

5. "Streets of Baltimore" -- Gram Parsons

Maryland really got the shaft in The Current's list. What's up with that? Maryland, being my home state, is way, way, way cooler than Delaware--despite the geographic proximity. And "Streets of Baltimore" is a way cooler Gram Parsons song than "Colorado," which actually made the cut. I also love "There's A Girl in the Heart of Maryland," but I'd probably  have to go with the Goodman version and I don't want to have two selection from him (even though he's the man.)

6. "Baltimore" -- Five Chinese Brothers

Yeah, that's right, TWO songs about Baltimore. It's such a way cool town. And this song is like the story of my life. I still listen to the freaking Orioles games on the radio every few weeks. Except now I listen on-line and don't have to try and pick up the signal from St. Paul.

This could go on and on and on and on. I don't know how they ever paired that list down to a reasonable length.

Posted by Paul Demko at July 5, 2005 6:10 PM

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