Lyrical Locales

A week or so ago I did a post which referred to a location from a popular song. There were several readers who didn’t know what I was referring to. It got me thinking; perhaps I should just do an entire post on lyrical locales. So I have…

Lee Ho Fook’s, London

From Werewolves in London by Warren Zevon

I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain
He was looking for a place called Lee Ho Fook's
Going to get himself a big dish of beef chow mein

Corner in Winslow, AZ

From Take it Easy by The Eagles

Well, I'm a standing on a corner
in Winslow Arizona
It's such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed
Ford slowin' down to take a look at me

The Palace, NJ

From Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

Beyond the Palace hemi-powered drones scream down the boulevard
The girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors
And the boys try to look so hard

Chelsea Drug Store, London

From You Can’t Always Get What You Want by the Rolling Stones

I went down to the Chelsea drugstore
To get your prescription filled
I was standing in line with Mr. Jimmy
And man, did he look pretty ill

Grand Hotel, Montereax Switzerland

From Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple

We ended up at the Grand Hotel
It was empty cold and bare

Alice’s Restaurant and The Church, Great Barrington, MA

From Alice’s Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie

Now it all started two Thanksgivings ago, was on - two years ago on
Thanksgiving, when my friend and I went up to visit Alice at the
restaurant, but Alice doesn't live in the restaurant, she lives in the
church nearby the restaurant, in the bell-tower, with her husband Ray and
Fasha the dog.

Waldo Pier, Salsalito, CA

(because though the song mentions Frisco Bay, he actually sat here when he came up with the song)

From Sitting on the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding

Sitting on the dock of the bay
Watching the tide roll away
I'm just sitting on the dock of the bay
Wasting time

The Chicken Ranch, LaGrange, TX

From LaGrange by ZZ Top

Rumour sprendin' a-'round in that Texas town
'bout that shack outside La Grange
and you know what I'm talkin' about.
Just let me know if you wanna go
to that home out on the range.
They gotta lotta nice girls

Penny Lane, Liverpool England

From Penny Lane by The Beatles

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back

(on a sidenote, Violet Hill by Coldplay is not very far away)

Ventura Highway, California

From Ventura Highway by America

Ventura Highway in the sunshine
Where the days are longer
The nights are stronger than moonshine
You're gonna go I know

Albert Royal Hall, England

From A Day in the Life by The Beatles

And though the holes were rather small
They had to count them all
Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall.

Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga, NY

From You’re so Vain by Carly Simon

Well, I hear you went up to Saratoga
And your horse naturally won

Ipanema beach, Ipanema, Brazil

From The Girl from Ipanema by Gilberto Astrud

Tall and tan and young and lovely,
The girl from Ipanema goes walking,
And when she passes
each one she passes goes "a-a-ah!"