SONGPEOPLE.CO.UK LISTEN. RATE. WIN

God's country is a fascinating place alright, and as the birthplace of popular music, it's naturally been name checked on many occasions. Here are ten examples of more random American places mentioned in song...

Stuck inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again – Bob Dylan

From Dylan's 1966 seminal album, Blonde on Blonde. This nine-verse epic prompted John Lennon to write a spoof called "Stuck Inside of Lexicon with the Roget's Thesaurus Blues Again" which was a dig about Dylan's obscure lyrics. “Well, Shakespeare, he's in the alley With his pointed shoes and his bells, Speaking to some French girl, Who says she knows me well...” To be fair, John had a point...

Nebraska – Bruce Springsteen

Title track from The Boss' sparsely recorded album from 1982. The famous tale behind this classic is that Bruce took the acoustic 4-track demos to the E-Street Band but couldn't get them to improve on the haunting and personal qualities inherent in the original sketches. As such the album is composed of polished up versions of the demos. Bruce fans have long been awaiting the release of Electric Nebraska which is the full band version that never saw the light of day.

Rolling Stones – Sweet Virginia

From the Stones 1972 masterpiece, Exile on Main Street. The album was largely recorded in the basement of Villa Nellcote in the South of France where Keith Richards was living at the time. Rumour has it that Stones roadies illegally hooked into the electrical supply of the French rail network to power all the musical equipment. Country rock pioneer Gram Parsons was one of the many guests at the house and its widely believed that his influence pervades the album, this country ditty being a perfect example.

Midnight Train to Georgia – Gladys Knight And the Pips

1973 Grammy-winning number one and a contender for the best backing vocals in pop history – ooh, ooh! If Gladys was on the 12pm to Georgia, she could have been moving into Otis Redding's place because he famously left his home in Georgia and headed for the 'Frisco Bay. This theory has never been proved though.

Is This The Way To Amarillo – Tony Christie

You might think that a dude from Sheffield asking for directions to a small city in Texas 4691.67 miles away is a bit random. But while Tony Christie made this song famous (with a bit of help from Peter Kay of course) it was actually written by Neil Sedaka. He is from New York and chose Amarillo as a destination simply because it was the only place name that rhymed with "willow" and "pillow." Following the song's recent success, Tony Christie was awarded the freedom of Amarillo...and a place on Emerdale.

Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd

The southern rock anthem from the world's unluckiest band. Originally written as a defiant response to Neil Young's “Southern Man” and “Alabama” that dealt with racism in the southern states, it's now a juke box standard and was sampled by Kid Rock on 2008's All Summer Long. Skynyrd, named after the group's PE teacher, Leonard Skinnerd, had a rather unfortunate history. Three were killed in a plane crash in 1977. One of the survivors later lost his wife leading to drink and drug abuse and a car crash that killed his then girlfriend and left him paralysed from the waste down. He then died of pneumonia. Another ended up doing time for sexual battery of his two daughters.

Ohio – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

“Four dead in Ohio” sang Neil Young on this CSNY classic from 1974. The song refers to the infamous shooting of four students by the US National Guard at an anti-Vietnam demonstration at Kent State University in Ohio in 1970. One of those at the demonstration was a young Chrissie Hynde who would later go on to form The Pretenders.

Do You Know the Way to San Jose – Dionne Warwick

Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and became a third successive top ten for Whitney Houston's auntie in 1968. The song is about heading home to San Jose after failing to make it in Tinsel Town. San Jose is where Hal David was based during the War, hence referencing it in this song. However, it also rather conveniently rhymes with “way.” Just as well he wasn't stationed in Wisconsin.

Witchita Lineman – Glen Campbell

Written by Jimmy Webb for country crooner Campbell in 1968. It's about a lonely worker fixing a phone line in rural Oklahoma, which is an interesting choice of subject matter for sure. The British equivalent would probably be called Wigan BT Engineer which doesn't sound quite as romantic...

Philadelphia Freedom – Elton John

A 1975 number one from ol' Reg Dwight written for his friend, Billie Jean King, who was part of the Philadelphia Freedom's Tennis Team. King had beaten American men's world number one in a famous game dubbed “The Battle of the Sexes” the previous year. It's not thought that Michael Jackson's Billie Jean is about Ms King. He was not thought to be much of a tennis fan, preferring chimps instead.