Entertainment For Lively Minds
Counties in song
Posted by Humphrey Plugg on 4 September 2009 - 10:05am.
It would take us 5 minutes to do all 50 American states named in songs but can we do the same for counties in the UK?
God's Own County has two I can think of
Adventures in a Yorkshire Landscape - Bill Nelson
Thankfully, not living in Yorkshire it doesn't apply - Dexys Midnight Runners
while their roses rivals have
Lucifer over Lancashire - The Fall
After that I'm stuck (especially since I found out that Cumberland Gap by Lonnie Donegan is about a place in Tennessee and not the Lake District county)
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Hot Chocolate
You Sussexy Thing?
Lincolnshire Poacher
I was also going to suggest Fog on the Tyneside, but that's just not funny!
I thought of that
but it's a trad arr.tune - although presumably it's been covered by Steeleye Convention
Knock, Knock, Knocking on Devon's door??
.
Controversial
Alternative Ulster, SLF.
Controversial because it's not a county...
It's 6 of 'em.
If we're going for regions/provinces then I'll raise you "Don't Kill The Wales" by Yes.
A pedant replies
strictly speaking, Ulster is 9 counties (6 in NI, 3 in RoI).
May I suggest Van & The Chieftains 'Star of the County Down'.
Tom Waits
"Down, Down, Down" ?
Slade
Get Down And Get With It
Some knobhead is going to suggest
Some knobhead is going to suggest “Kent Buy Me Love” before you know it
aa-oooo
You've headed that terrible pun off at the pass, but Kent is genuinely mentioned, and in a fantastic song: 'He's the hairy-handed gent, who ran amok in Kent'
4000 holes in
Blackburn, Lancashire*
*I posted that for The Benefit of Mr. Kent above.
I seem to have left an important part of my brain
...somewhere, somewhere in a field in Hampshire
Surrey
with a Fringe on Top
Essex Dogs
by Blur
Cumbria …
… my lord, Cumbria.
Let There Be Durhams (Sandy Nelson)
CUFC
Have actually heard this refrain sung by fellow Carlisle Utd fans.
Respect …
… from another CUFC fan (but not Carlisle United).
Doing my bit for Scotland...
"Moscow's in Ayrshire" sang the Trashcan Sinatras on 'Hayfever'
"Sutherland" no more sang The Proclaimers on 'Letter From America'
I'm sure there's a Marillion lyric where Fish sings about The heart of Midlothian
ACD/DC fans also chant "Angus, Angus" during the live version of Whole Lotta Rosie. The county of Angus is in the Highlands.
Morrissety lists a whole host of towns on 'Panic' but I'm sure he must mention counties somewhere too.
Panic mentions Humberside
is that a county?
Don't
start me off......
Delia Derbyshire
King of Woolworths had a track named after her:
http://open.spotify.com/track/10XqHuEZdzhpW0zuzDja4M
love a pun,me
Surrey Seems To Be The Hardest word
monkey's gone to Devon
Cheshire, I Can Boogie
It's Grim Up North
Although a litany of towns, it does specifically mention Lancashire.
Dorset …
… The Controls For the Heart of the Sun
Tyne & Wear Not Gonna Take It
and of course the Bacharach/David tearjerker Anyone Who Had a Hertfordshire
All these puns
are Suffolkin' good, I thought we had Norfolkin' chance of getting all the counties in...
W.E.S.S.E.X.Y
was an obscure B side of a Drudion single. (Try, Try, Try, i think.) Which both a fictional County and a pagan kingdom, init!
the song itself is J.H Cope in his guise as the George Clinton of south west England.
Mustn't forget that band
Six Glamorgans of Admittance
Didn't Walter Carlos do
Switched-on Berks?
London
apparently counts as a county, as well as a city, so plenty of songs to be found there...
Fare Thee Well Northumberland
Mark Knopfler
Girl From The Northumberland County
How About ?
Car-AVON of Love - Housemartins
Don't Go Breaking my HERTS. - Elton & Kiki
WARKS. on the Wild Side - Lou R.
Set the controls for the heart of the pun
When I get to the Borders – Richard & Linda Thompson
We Gwent Thataway – Glenn Tilbrook
Thorn in my Humberside - Eurythmics
Powys to the People – John Lennon
The Boys of Somerset – Don Henley
Bonnie & Strathclyde – Georgie Fame
Tyne & Wear All Crazee Now – Slade
And of course, an original:
Up the Wooden Hills to Bedfordshire – Small Faces
Love Lies Limp
by Alternative TV is all I can think of for Wiltshire....
Half Man Half Biscuit, of course
Half Man Half Biscuit, of course, have done plenty of song titles that reference UK places. They've only done one county in A Shropshire Lad, which shares it's name with both a book by A.E. Houseman and a short classical work by Butterworth.
The national anthem of Lancashire
Sung by The Lancashire Hotpots; 21st century folk for 21st century folk.
Dave Brubeck
Take Fife.
I'm surprised nobody has yet mentioned...
....'The Londonderry Air' - 'Danny Boy' in its instrumental guise. Or 'Down, Down' by Status Quo... or 'Durham Town' by Roger Whittaker. at least two of those are genuine!
The Rutles
Not just a song, but a whole band named after a county!
Durham Durham?
A Pink Panther fan...
...I see.
Creations Records Alan McGee's band
Biff Bang Pow(ys)!
Leicesterday
I'm Notts in Love
Stuck in the Midlands with you
Dyfed Essex
It's a twofer!
can i just say that...
... Angus is not in the Highlands...
Has he moved away?
Possibly to Tayside?
a poetically inspirational area of course ...
Forfar, your honest sonsie face...
Coward of the county
Show of Hands - Undertow starts "Born in a Devonshire seaside town"
Richard Thompson - Devonside
Bill Monroe - Blue Moon of Kentucky
Anything by Devon Sproule, The Shirelles or Hugh Cornwall...
I give you
Lust for Fife - Iggy Pop
Borders land - Madonna
Highlands, Hard Rain - Aztec Camera
and dont Radiohead sing in Creep that a certain English region is Suffolking special?
*gets coat*
John Lennon
Instant Cornwall...
*taxi booked*
Cornwall Police
You might think that Instant Cornwall's bad...
but I was wondering about "Instant Carmarthen".
The principality presents the odd problem - or is it an opportunity?
Ceredigion a Pony?
Clwyd Nine
In Flint they Kiss on Main Street
Pembrokeaway Beach
Denbigh Here Now
Idiot Gwynnedd
Proud Merioneth
If you include the unitary authorities it opens the door to
Help me Rhondda Cynon Taf
Red Red Torfaen
I'd Rather Go Blaenau Gwent (than to see you with another guy..)
We're not worthy
I have to admit that Instant Carmarthen beats Instant Cornwall. Swine!
Songs for Swinging Londoners
Anyone remember:-
Hendon-eath The Arches
When Somebody Loves You Its No Good Unless She Loves You Holloway
Wembley Red Red Robin........
Meanwhile back in the Shires:-
Avon to Dance With Somebody
Gloucester Get You Into My Life
Essex, Drugs and Rock and Roll
Mr Love Hants
Rutlands To Be Cheerful
There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Berkshires
What A West (Yorkshire)
Crusty Whore goes Scouse
Christy and Declan do Ian Prowse's great Amsterdam anthem for Mersey pride
You Armagh Sunshine
(I Just) Dyfed In Your Arms
Get Off Of My Clwyd
Brecknockin' Beats
Bitches Ain't Shetland
Ooh - got another one
James - I know what I'm Hereford.
while I'm here
Elton John and Kiki Dee - Donegal breaking my heart.
I don't know if these count as counties, buut anyway
(Isle of) Wight Room (the place you end up after using your "Ticket to Ryde").
(Channel) Islands in the Stream.
Lundy Lundy - Bristol Channel isle as eulogised by the Mamas and Papas
I don't know if these count as counties, but anyway
(Isle of) Wight Room (the place you end up after using your "Ticket to Ryde").
(Channel) Islands in the Stream.
Lundy Lundy - Bristol Channel isle as eulogised by the Mamas and Papas
We need a whole lot less Rock and Roll
and a lot more West Byfleet.
Every time you go away
you take a piece of Meath with you
Or....
I've been to paradise, but I've never been to Meath
(c) 1996 Dustin the Turkey
Kerry On up the Pop Charts -
Kerry On up the Pop Charts - Beautiful South
Galway's On My Mind - Elvis
Carlow, Is It Me You're looking for - Lionel Richie
24 hours
from Drimoleague.
.
We are not worthy
In the hole
Way Down in the Hole - Tom Waits.
Apparently it's the theme tune to some wee serial yoke on TV
Closest Thing To Devon - Tears For Fears
.
Devon 17
Oxon and On
Stephen Bishop
Butehole Surfers
Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Inverness
Antrimsky-Korsakov
The alternative Paddy Riley's Ireland
Sorry Armagh! Forgot to take the trash out! The Replacements
The Real Antrim Shady - Eminem
Laois, Laois, Me - The Beatles
The Longford Winding Road - The Beatles
Roscommon People - Pulp
Mayo, Bum Rush the Show: Public Enemy
Louth-er than Bombs - Public Enemy
Kildare - The Human League
Clare She Goes - The La's
Bridge over troubled Waterford...*
* Remembers has life and identifies whereabouts of upper body over garment.
Bandon
The Run ?
and more on that theme ...(outer garment already in place)
Cavan is a place on earth
Offaly Deep
New Monaghan
Corksucker Blues (unreleased documentary of the Rolling Stones in the sleaze-pit that was early-70s downtown Kinsale, high on the proceeds of its charter-fishing boom....but rumoured to be as nothing compared to the moral decay on the corners of Cobh)
Careless Wicklow
Kerry - Joni Mitchell's puzzling tale of south-west-coast S&M ("Kerry get out your cane")
You Wexford M***F*** - from Prince's little-known "Rosslare" period
Brilliant
Cavan is a place on earth... that's brilliant
Perhaps that's what Roxy were hinting at on Virginia Plain.
That's enough Cavan placename jokes - ed.
I nearly forgot (stepping outside)
Soul Fermanagh
Aberdeenshire
Udny, Udny - Mamas & the Papas
Monymusk Rivers to Cross - Jimmy Cliff
Hanky Banchory - Madonna
Running up that Westhill - Kate Bush
etc