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The songs of our people

By adamg on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 9:38pm

Robert Caplis asks:

Dear Boston: what songs would you include for a Hub-centric playlist? Either about the city or artists from the city.

Neighborhoods: 
Boston
Topics: 
Entertainment


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Comments

By adamg on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 9:39pm.
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By Boston_Bloke on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 10:01pm.

Considering Boston is a minority majority city I'm aghast by the lack of soul, R&B, and soca among the replies. How about Donna Summer? 9.9 ? Bobby Brown or New Edition? Let's add Jadine, a soca artist originally from Monserrat who bow calls Boston home.

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By adamg on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 10:18pm.

Those were collected over a period of roughly 20 minutes, on a holiday Sunday. Hardly proof of racism among local Twitter users.

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By anon on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 10:55pm.

Boston is not a minority majority city, if you're going to claim racism at least have you fact in order.

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25/2507000.html

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By anon on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 12:04am.

According to the link you provide, Boston IS a majority minority city. It shows 53.9% of the population are white (alone), but that includes Hispanics or Latinos who are not black, or Asian or another "race".

You'll see (a bit further down) that Whites who are not Hispanic comprise 47% of Boston, which is less than a majority, of course.

This is because Latinos are made up of different "races" (whatever that is....). Just like people from the United States, when you say "American" it doesn't refer to any particular race, since Americans come in all different "races".

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By Waquiot on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 12:25am.

Your link says 47% white alone, non-Hispanic.

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By anon on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 9:35am.

"Bostons" - Have Heart

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By Marco on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 11:27am.

Both on twitter and in this thread:
Anything by New Black Eagle Jazz Band (Boston's own Dixie-land group- response to Preservation Hall Jazz band)
Lenny and the Piss Poor Boys- Cambridgeport Salloon

Also: Caspian, anything by them...

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By Kevin M on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 9:52am.

The Get Up Kids - Mass Pike
anything Aerosmith or Letters to Cleo

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By anon on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 9:45pm.

Mass. Ave. by Willie Loco Alexander. The 45 that kicked off the classic Rat era in 1975. Utterly classic song.

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By Ed jay on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 9:53pm.

Love that dirty water and Dint look back

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By anon on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 10:23pm.

"Dirty Water" was by the Standells, a band from Los Angeles. They have nothing to do with Boston at all.

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By anon on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 9:49am.

The question included songs "about the city." Like the song or not, it is about Boston.

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By ChrisInEastie on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 11:41am.

That they play it after every Bruins and Sox win, so like it or not, it does have a place. Also, the band's producer write it after being mugged on the Charles.

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By Wiffleball on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 4:28pm.

Neil Diamond (you know what song) should be included, and God knows neither have anything to do with Boston.

I still find it astonishing that Neil Diamond, part of the nobody-you-know-likes-them-yet-somehow-they-seem-to-be-popular pantheon along with Barry Manilow, Tom Jones, Englebert Humperdinck, and David Hasselhoff, is tolerated at Fenway.

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By anon on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 5:55pm.

I never got that 'Sweet Caroline" thing at Fenway either. It makes no sense. It's like they just picked some random song that everybody happened to know and it stuck. It has nothing to do with anything. It might as well have been "Row Row Row Your Boat" or something.

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By Scratchie on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 10:20am.

Would be less annoying.

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By Suldog on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 9:45pm.

I like Tom Jones. I'm not sure why I felt a need to say that, but I did.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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By anon on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 11:13pm.

while reading that list, so you're not alone.

I'm entirely too young to be in his original fan base, but I'm pretty sure my mom had (has??) a little thing for him, and I guess that got transmitted to me, with much less intensity. I don't dislike him.

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By ChrisInEastie on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 11:39pm.

Let's look at the end of the original question then:

Either about the city or artists from the city.

So, Dirty Water = about the city.

If we were talking about songs that are significant to the city, I'm sorry, but Sweet Caroline should absolutely be on there. And this comes from a Yankees fan.

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By Sue on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 9:59pm.

OFD.....Bryan McPherson....

https://bryanmcpherson.bandcamp.com/track/ofd

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By Miss M on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 10:03pm.

(Not a random list; these are all Boston artists I love)

Mighty Mighty Bosstones
Morphine
Letters to Cleo
Buffalo Tom
Helium
Come
Jen Trynin
The Sheila Devine
Pixies
The Lemonheads
Julianna Hatfield
Aimee Mann
Boston
Dresden Dolls (as annoying as AP has become, they were great)
Dropkick Murphys
Mission of Burma
J. Geils Band
Passion Pit
Air Traffic Controller

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By SoBoYuppie on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 10:25pm.

...are not from Boston.

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By anon on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 11:40pm.

What's your point?

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By SoBoYuppie on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 12:26pm.

I don't write songs insinuating I am.

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By Malcolm Tucker on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 1:34pm.

I too remember the Dresden Dolls fondly, before AFP drowned in a sea of schtick. Aww. Their songs "Truce" and "Boston" (duh) specifically mention local geography, and a few of their music videos were shot 'round these parts.

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By Mjolnir on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 10:46am.

In addition to her and Til Tuesday's major ties to the area, the video for their biggest hit features some overt South End filming, at around 1:50

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By Felicity on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 10:44pm.

Cave In
Piebald
Pet Genius
Throwing Muses
The Cars

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By BullDetector on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 10:50pm.

Rock and Roll band - Boston
Sweet Baby James - James Taylor
She's From Boston - Kenny Chesney
Midnight Rambler - The Rolling Stones
Dirty Water - The Standells
Charlie on the M.T.A - The Kingston Trio
Walkaways - Counting Crows
Roadrunner - Jonathan Richman
Massachusetts - Bee Gees

Anything by Drop Kick Murphy's - The official band of St Patrick's Day (In Massachusetts)

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By anon on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 10:52pm.

Here's a few:





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By Adam on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 11:07pm.

Edo. G. - Boston
Modern Lovers - Government Center
Pixies - I been tired/levitate me
Akrobatik - Home
Lyres - She pays the rent
Upper Crust - Let them eat rock
Atlantics - Lonelyhearts
Jonathan Richman - Twilight in Boston

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By The Fox 915 on Sun, 10/11/2015 - 11:08pm.

Blue Avenue

South End Incident (I'm Afraid)

The Eyes of the Beacon Street Union 1968

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By Waquiot on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 12:24am.

You need some sugar on your cereal. And some New Edition to boot.

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By perruptor on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 7:43am.

About James Taylor's time in McClean's Hospital.

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By roadman on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 4:23pm.

Hospital - FIFY

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By Suldog on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 9:23am.

Southie is my Hometown

And, even though from Ipswich originally, I think The Fools should be included. More specifically, I Won't Grow Up, which I've always considered a theme song of sorts.

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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By anon on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 7:53pm.

Also "charlie on the mta" please!
These were regulars on my grandmother's record player back in the day.

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By anon on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 12:51pm.

.

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By anon on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 1:02pm.

New material: "Ashmont Station"
https://soundcloud.com/portreyyouth/03-ashmont-station-prod-by-eyeduhhh

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By anon on Mon, 10/12/2015 - 11:39pm.

No one's mentioned Jonathan Coulton's Brookline? Shame, shame.

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By Lmo on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 12:32am.

Maybe bc it isn't about Boston?

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By CRD on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 6:08am.

by The Dismemberment Plan.

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By kvn on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 9:54am.

james montgomery band　- "Train"

https://youtu.be/aTNB_H7vl5o

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By issacg on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 12:59pm.

and now don't no one wake me up 'til we're near Park Street Station.

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By Belmont on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 4:06pm.

"The Sound of Our Town". (and others).

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By itchy on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 4:58pm.

Jackie Onassis
Bonfire on the Fenway
Andy Fell (but that would be sensationalizing without the facts!!!!!)

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By anon on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 5:52pm.

For decades, Boston has been home to one of the great folk/acoustic music scenes around. A few acts/performers with local ties:

*Joan Baez
*Eric Von Schmidt
*Tom Rush
*Vance Gilbert
*Crooked Still

And Boston has a very distinguished history of Irish music that stretches back even longer, to the great dance halls of Dudley Square. Some of the luminaries who have recorded material include Joe Derrane, Paddy Cronin, Brendan Tonra, and Tommy & Louise McCarthy (owners of The Burren).

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By AndyF on Tue, 10/13/2015 - 8:59pm.

Top Floor, Bottom Buzzer by Morphine.

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