Songs with City in Their Titles

Since it is baseball season, I have to make my yearly pilgrimage away from my safe rural-suburban town. In order to see a Major League Baseball game I must travel to the city, which is something I rarely do during the off season. I am so used to driving on country roads that the thought of trying to navigate through city traffic causes me anxiety.

In order to make that drive into the city this summer a little more pleasant, I decided to load my mp3 player with songs that mention that dreaded four letter word in their titles. I am looking forward to hearing songs such as "In the City" by the Eagles, "We Built This City" by Starship, and the Jan and Dean classic "Surf City."

The ten city songs I like the best are in the following list. Hearing these tunes will make pleasant even something so unsettling as a drive to the city.

10. "Century City" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Though not as memorable as "Refugee," "Even the Losers" and "Don't Do Me Like That," this track from Damn the Torpedoes provides the perfect coda as the album's last song. It has a futuristic feel and friendly beat that is more uplifting than the other tunes.

9. "Suffragette City" by David Bowie: In spite of the now trite line "Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am," this track has always been my favorite from Ziggy Stardust. It has one of Bowie's most singable choruses, but the Little Richard-like piano riff makes the song stand out.

8. "Hot Child in the City" by Nick Gilder: In today's world the writer of a song such as this would not be permitted to live within five miles of a school and have to register his name with the local authorities. Thirty years ago one could sing about a hot child and have a great hit song.

7. "City to City" by Gerry Rafferty: The title track from Rafferty's most popular album has the same pop appeal as the bigger hits "Baker Street" and "Right Down the Line." The blend of horns and electric guitar provide an appealing background for Rafferty's raspy tenor.

6. "Inoculated City" by The Clash: This anti-war song is like its brothers ("Rock the Casbah" and "Atom Tan") on an Album ironically called Combat Rock. Unlike on its brother songs, though, the band backs this message with a mellow, catchy rhythm.

5. "City Boy" by Phil Ochs: The same guy who wrote about the coal mines of Kentucky confesses his love for the city in this track from A Toast to Those Who Are Gone. The introspective song, while not as memorable as Ochs' many anti-war anthems, offers a pleasant opportunity to appreciate other aspects of the songwriter's life.

4."Bright Lights, Big City" by Umphrey's McGee: The song reminds me of Steely Dan with its jazz-like influences. The lyrics consist simply of different images associated with the city, and the band's delivery is extremely fine-tuned.

3."Night in the City" by the Electric Light Orchestra: This is one of the many classics from Out of the Blue. Though it never reached the acclaim of big hits such as "Mr. Blue Sky," Turn to Stone" and "Sweet Talkin' Woman," no one with the CD will ever skip this mellow representative of the band's more serene side.

2."Summer in the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful: This is no doubt the band's most rocking song, with John Anderson grunting "Hot town, summer in the city, back of my neck's getting dirty and gritty."

1. "City of New Orleans" by Arlo Guthrie: The song rolls on almost as romantically as a the train itself as lyricist Steve Gooman fills this poetic box cars with rich pieces of cargo. Among the poignant imagery is "Dealing card games with the old men in the club car, Penny a point ain't no one keeping score." He paints the "Mothers with their babes asleep," "the paper bag that holds the bottle," and the "wheels rumbling 'neath the floor." It is fitting that the best song with city in its title is actually about a train covering the countryside.