Pop Songs about Iowa/Iowa Towns
- Thread starter StClone
- Start date
Also, on the Vampire Weekend album that just came out last month, they had some lame hipster song where they sang about driving from Waverly to Lincoln. I really didn't care enough to look into where that Waverly was, I just assumed it was Waverly, Iowa.
[video=youtube;B1mgN1I9rhk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1mgN1I9rhk&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]
Rodgers and Hammerstein's first Broadway musical was State Fair (Oklahoma, their second).
The second film version was the musical (the first, starring Will Rogers, was not a musical). As I recall, the son, Wayne, in the musical version for awhile wore a cardinal sweater with a gold "I". (The third film version, starring Pat Boone and Ann Margaret, was set in Texas.)
The Iowa specific song I recall was pretty corny (all I owe I owe Ioway ...). But like The Music Man, in a way all the songs were about Iowa.
I know old and tangential.
The book State Fair, which the film and Broadway versions were based on, was written by Iowa native Phil Stong. The "butter cow lady," Norma "Duffy" Lyon, who learned how to sculpt at ISU from Christian Petersen, as I recall, was his niece.
The second film version was the musical (the first, starring Will Rogers, was not a musical). As I recall, the son, Wayne, in the musical version for awhile wore a cardinal sweater with a gold "I". (The third film version, starring Pat Boone and Ann Margaret, was set in Texas.)
The Iowa specific song I recall was pretty corny (all I owe I owe Ioway ...). But like The Music Man, in a way all the songs were about Iowa.
I know old and tangential.
The book State Fair, which the film and Broadway versions were based on, was written by Iowa native Phil Stong. The "butter cow lady," Norma "Duffy" Lyon, who learned how to sculpt at ISU from Christian Petersen, as I recall, was his niece.
CW McCall has several mentions of Iowa. In Classified he 'was thumbing thru the want ads in the Shelby Country Tribune'...admittedly there might be other Shelby counties, but when you throw in the reference to Nishnabotna, which is also referenced in 4 wheel drive (we went screaming thru the valley where the Nishnabotna flows)
William Elliott Whitmore - Black Iowa Dirt - Studio Version - YouTube
William Elliott Whitmore - Lee County Flood - YouTube
The Jayhawks, live in Germany, 06/95, Sioux City - YouTube
The Drams 'Des Moines' from the album 'Jubilee Dive' - YouTube
It Sure can Get Cold In Des Moines - YouTube
(this is a cover, I think the original is on Spotify)
William Elliott Whitmore - Lee County Flood - YouTube
The Jayhawks, live in Germany, 06/95, Sioux City - YouTube
The Drams 'Des Moines' from the album 'Jubilee Dive' - YouTube
It Sure can Get Cold In Des Moines - YouTube
(this is a cover, I think the original is on Spotify)
As long as you remove the Kentucky references, this one kind of fits (it was played at a High School football game once, after they won)…
Brad Paisley - You'll Never leave Harlan Alive - YouTube
Brad Paisley - You'll Never leave Harlan Alive - YouTube
Kevin Costner & Modern West - Leland, IA
[video=youtube;MopuThOXj1Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MopuThOXj1Y[/video]
[video=youtube;MopuThOXj1Y]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MopuThOXj1Y[/video]
Slightly off-topic, but Sufjan Stevens has made albums about Michigan and Illinois and I think he was planning on making albums about all 50 states. The albums' songs and song titles are about the people, towns, and traditions of each of these states. It will be kind of neat if/when he gets around to doing one about Iowa. Having grown up in Illinois, I'm partial to "Come on Feel the Illinoise":
"Chicago"
"Chicago" -- Sufjan Stevens - YouTube
"Casmir Pulaski Day"
Casimir Pulaski Day - YouTube
"Chicago"
"Chicago" -- Sufjan Stevens - YouTube
"Casmir Pulaski Day"
Casimir Pulaski Day - YouTube
This was the first song that popped into my head when I saw the thread title. As a kid I always thought it was cool to hear the name of my little town in a song on the radio.
