Is it because geographically the US is so much bigger? Or is there another reason?
People write about their experiences. You must listen to a lot of American music. Surely British group write about British cities.
As it happens I do listen to a lot of American music and I also listen to a lot of British music. This particular question isn't about my personal taste in music, it's about popular music in general. A lot of songs about places in America have been massive hits in the UK as well. In 1967 alone there were number one hits in the UK singing about San Francisco and Massachusetts. In the US, as far as I know "Winchester Cathedral" was the only number one hit that mentioned a British town, unless one counts the Beatles hit "Penny Lane" (a street in Liverpool, but that was only a hit because it was the Beatles and not necessarily because of its lyrical theme).
In general, songs about British places have been less successful even in the UK than songs about American places. For example, there was a song about Bridlington, and there are enough people in Yorkshire alone to make that a potential number one hit, but it got absolutely nowhere. How many people in the UK have actually been to San Francisco or Massachusetts? I don't know for sure, but I should imagine more people in the UK have been to Bridlington than either of those two American cities. That was only one example. There are hundreds of others. This question is about the general popularity of songs about American places compared with songs about British places.
Our geographical size does give us an advantage, but some people just writing songs about places ... it seems ... and he's from Australia. (Geoff Mack ... couldn't find his version)
Hank Snow - "I've Been Everywhere"
I'm not saying there aren't, I just form the impression that the media is somewhat biased in favour of the US. Lol:)
maybe theyre singing them in the uk and we just dont hear about it
People in the US are more musically gifted than those in other countries. ;)
Because the US is best!
I think it may be because the UK already has The Dream Academy singing about "Life in a Northern Town"
~ and NO song about ANY town, ANY where, is better than that song, in my opinion!
:)
I could say 'Aberdeen' by Kurt Cobain, but that would be cheating. :)
I think you're right, and I can't say why. But we do have quite a few.
Guns of Brixton and London Calling, Clash.
Belfast, Boney M.
Streets of London, Ralph McTell
Waterloo Sunset, Kinks.
Scarborough Fair, Simon & Garfunkel
Nice one, Welby! I love "Life In A Northern Town" myself, it's one of the best songs from an otherwise rather naff decade. I bought it on a single all those years ago and I have it on my computer now. I really like that one, I've always identified myself with the North. :)
Here is another Northern song you may or may not remember, I think there is a good chance you'd like it. I love it. :)
As it happens I know most of those. I remember "Scarborough Fair" when I was about 6 (the year I actually went to Scarborough for the first time), and I also remember "Streets Of London", "Waterloo Sunset" and "Belfast" well. "Streets Of London" took several years to become a hit, it first came out some time around 1969 but it wasn't a hit until late 1974 going into '75.
Well, maybe it was at some point, but look at the way the Beatles took over the US charts in 1964 and paved the way for other British musicians to make a big impact there. Lol:)
Some are, but some are definitely not. Unless I am very much mistaken Green Day are from the US and they are about as musically gifted as a cement mixer. In fact I would rather listen to a cement mixer than Green Day any day (and this is coming from a guy who actually worked on a cement mixer in the 1990s). On the other hand, we in the UK have the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Queen, Elton John, Rod Stewart and quite a few others who made big waves in the US. Now which country is more musically gifted? Lol:)
This U.S. is bigger and has 300+ million citizens whereas the U.K. is not only smaller by land, but also has a considerably smaller population. That alone could account for the higher music sales. Not so were we to compare all of Europe to North America, but I suppose the population size presents a variable worth exploring. jmo
That more or less matches my own suggestion in the part I posted after my main question. :)
Ahh, I must have missed that. lol Great minds and all that jazz ;)
Lol:)
Yes, I did like it, Andy B! Thanks for your reply to my asnwer and the song1
:)
Because USA is a big country of many contrasts, while Britain is tiny, drabby, and mostly unchanging. There are 11 USA states that are bigger than all of the UK - Alaska, Texas, California, Montana, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado - and 39 more states to boot; with climes ranging from subtropical to Arctic; terrains that include mountains, hills, prairies, great lakes, rain forests, and deserts; and social geography features including sparse areas, quiet towns, and big cities. All of that inspires artistic expression.
That does not mean there are no songs extolling some greatness of the UK or its features. For example, in the 70s Emerson, Lake, and Palmer did a remake of the 1916 anthem Jerusalem, which became much better-known throughout the world.
There are more songs about England or whatever the name is now, because England is older than America by far and you need to go back to songs that are not on the Top 10.
The term Britain is a linguistic descendant (reflex) of one of the oldest known names for Great Britain, an island off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The terms Briton and British, similarly derived, refer to its inhabitants and, to varying extents, the smaller islands in the vicinity. "British Isles" is the only ancient name for these islands to survive in general usage. Its first written appearance was by Pytheas of Massalia in the 4th century BCE. It originates with a group of P-Celtic speakers, resident on Great Britain, who were referred to, and perhaps referred to themselves, by the earliest known form of the term "British".
You're welcome, Welby. I thought you might like it because it has a similar life-in-a-Northern-town theme. Plus, it sounds like a cross between Elton John and Lindisfarne. Lol:)
Maybe if you had such awesome places as Idaho and North Dakota, more people would be inspired to write.
