A VC sets me thinking about music in Boston with his reference to Jonathan Richman's The Fenway. In a happy coincidence, Sara Lovering has a recent photo of the Fenway Victory Gardens. I'd also throw Jonathan Richman's "Government Center" onto the short list of good songs about Boston because if I worked in Government Center I'd want someone to write a song to make me feel better. I've been thinking of writing a short essay on songs about Boston, so anyone who knows a song about Boston, please feel free to leave a note in the comments section. I'm also willing to consider albums named after places in Boston, but The Dogmatics Thayer Street (and yes, that photo was taken on Thayer Street) is the only one that comes to mind. Perhaps A VC ran into some of the Kenmore Square punks name checked in one of my Dogmatics favorites, "Hardcore Rules," while he was in school.
The Dogmatics bring me to my other music news because a friend of mine is releasing two CDs this month. Charlie Chesterman and his band The Legendary Motorbikes will be playing a record (I still call them records and no one will get me to change my mind on this) release show at the Lizard Lounge in Cambridge on April 23rd, beginning at 9 P.M. The Lizard Lounge is a great place to see show and I'm sure the band will be in top form. As an added bonus, Orange Nichole and Ray Mason will play opening sets.
Why do the Dogmatics bring me to Charlie Chesterman? Because The Dogmatics covered a song written by Charlie, "King Size Cigarette", which was done by Charlie's pre-Scruffy the Cat band, The Law. The Legendary Motorbikes re-recorded "King Size Cigarette" for the benefit CD A Place to Call Home, which I believe is still available.
No need to mention the Standells :-).
Mighty Mighty Bosstones: "The Rascal King."
Richman also did "Roadrunner," which mentions Stop & Shop and 128 (I know, I know, the latter is not technically in Boston, but hey, it's easier to get to 128 from my house in Rozzie than City Hall ...)
Posted by: adamg | 13 April 2005 at 09:48
Oh, good lord, how could I have forgotten:
"Charley on the MTA"
I swear, early senility is a terrible thing!
Posted by: adamg | 13 April 2005 at 10:26
Even more songs here:
www.wickedgood.info/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=7423
Posted by: adamg | 13 April 2005 at 10:27
Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers have several songs about/set in Boston:
Goverment Center; Financial Zone, and for metro, New England, his love song to the area.
Posted by: Lisa Williams | 13 April 2005 at 11:19
If you're including songs from Broadway, there's "The Boston Beguine," which Alice Ghostley sang in "New Faces of 1952" and which includes references to Boston Common and the Red Sox.
Posted by: robert sullivan | 13 April 2005 at 14:36
I was going to post about the half-dozen or so Bosstones songs people had missed, but then I finished reading the wickedgood.info thread, and it covered all of them.
Others I can think of off the top of my head:
"Jackson Mann", "The Allston Beat", "Brighton Memories", all by The Allstonians.
"T DJ", Freezepop
"Beantown Bop", The Raging Teens
Posted by: rascalking | 13 April 2005 at 16:19
wow i see this post is old but i'm commenting anyway. i've been making a boston playlist for years and it keeps growing, so psyched to add the ones listed here! here's what i have so far - songs that are about or mention boston:
dirty water by the standells
sweet baby james by james taylor
massachusetts by arlo guthrie
get it like you like it by ben harper
tessie by the dropkick murphys
shipping off to boston by the dropkick murphys from the departed soundtrack
charlie on the mta by the kingston trio
homecoming king by guster
the vineyard by jackopierce
jet airliner by steve miller band
bakc to boston by the peter hostage situation
Posted by: brandy | 28 July 2007 at 21:35
There's "The Ice of Boston" By the Dismemberment plan from washington D.C., with golden verses such as "and I woke at three am with the radio on with that gladys night & the pips song on about how she'd rather live in his world with him than live in her own world alone, and I laid there head spinning and tring to fall asleep and I thought to myself Aw gladys girl I love you .. but get a life". I swear, it's about boston.
Posted by: Chris | 26 November 2007 at 19:24