Stephanie Sadowski | ssadowski@pennlive.com
Stephanie Sadowski | ssadowski@pennlive.com
"Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania," by Guy Mitchell
This one ranks highest on our list simply because of its title. And who doesn't love a little Guy Mitchell tune? It's catchy. Take a listen for yourself as he sings about pawn shops and forlorn lovers:
"And I walk up and down 'neath the clock
(By the pawnshop on a corner in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
But I ain't got a thing left to hock
She was peaches, she was honey
And she cost me all my money
'Cause a whirl 'round the town was her dream
(Was her dream)
Took her dancin', took her dinin'
Till her blue eyes were shinin'
With the sights that they never had seen
(Never seen)"
Stephanie Sadowski | ssadowski@pennlive.com
"Pittsburgh (Studio) (Mr. Small's)," by They Might be Giants
The lead-in to this video mentions Pittsburgh by name a lot more than the lyrics themselves do. The song, however, refers to a recording studio in the city:
"We are the guests of Mr. Smalls.
Somewhere he's watching us through eyeholes in the walls.
Mr. Small's Theater - partly hoping, half afraid
We could rock it so well
We would roll down the hill;
We could rock it so well
We would roll down the hill.
I still have dreams about a place
Called the Electric Banana
Where we're falling into space.
Mr. Small's Theater - partly hoping, half afraid
We could rock it so well
We would roll down the hill;
We could rock it so well
We would roll down the hill.
Mr. Small's, Mr. Small's, Mr. Small's, Mr. Small's!"
Wiz Khalifa arrives at the American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Stephanie Sadowski | ssadowski@pennlive.com
"Pittsburgh Sound," by Wiz Khalifa
To be honest, neither of Wiz Khalifa's Pittsburgh-centric songs ("Pittsburgh Sound" and "Black and Yellow," which is about the Steelers) is family-friendly enough to link to out of this piece. BUT here are the lyrics that land the rapper's "Pittsburgh Sound" on our list:
"Changin the game
Spittin that flame
His name, it's Wiz Khalifa man
Hustlin 24/7
Ask him how I do it I tell 'em (what you tell 'em)
(its all in my blood)
I got that Pittsburgh sound
And I'mma always hold Pittsburgh down
Its Wiz Khalifa man
Don't know about you, bra
But I'm a hustla; it's all in my blood"
Stephanie Sadowski | ssadowski@pennlive.com
"America," by Simon & Garfunkel
This folk tune ranks on our list of Pittsburgh-centric songs for its prominent mention of the Steel City:
"Let us be lovers,
We'll marry our fortunes together.
I've got some real estate
Here in my bag.
So we bought a pack of cigarettes,
And Mrs. Wagner's pies,
And walked off
To look for America.
"Kathy", I said,
As we boarded a Greyhound in Pittsburgh,
Michigan seems like a dream to me now."
Stephanie Sadowski | ssadowski@pennlive.com
"Pittsburgh in the Morning, Philadelphia at Night," by Moreland & Arbuckle
Moreland & Arbuckle are a gritty blues rock trio from Kansas. "How did they get on this list?" you ask. The title to this track off their album "1861." Like most blues songs, it's about love and heartache. It's funky and little-known, but its
"I'm going down to the river; I believe I will jump in.
Because the way she treats me is a low-down dirty sin.
It's Pittsburgh in the morning; it's Philadelphia at night.
I said it's Pittsburgh in the morning, you know it; it's Philadelphia late at night.
I traveled the world and found a woman that treats me right."
Stephanie Sadowski | ssadowski@pennlive.com
What did we miss?
So what did we miss? Yes, we know about the Butthole Surfers tune "Pittsburgh to Lebanon," and we know Lebanon's right in our backyard, but we decided to go with 5 better songs. What do you think we missed? Should we have included Pitt's fight song? Let us know in the comments.
In the meantime, if you want to hear another few Pennsylvania songs, check out our top picks (about the state itself, not the cities). "The Pennsylvania Polka" is an obvious one -- "It started in Scranton, it's now number 1" -- but what else would you put on the list?
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