February 20, 2008
By George! A New Original Song About D.C.
You can imagine how excited we were to get a press release this morning from local songwriter Carol Boyd Leon, announcing the release of a new original song about Washington, D.C. Some of you may remember the heated debate that sprang up on DCist two years ago regarding the adoption of an official song for the District. Some factions were pulling for the cheesy "Come to Washington" by longtime local musician Lincoln Ross, while our readers preferred "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" by the Postal Service, "Banned in DC" by Bad Brains, or "Washington, DC" by Magnetic Fields. Since then we've also developed a soft spot for "Welcome to D.C." by Mambo Sauce. But, hooray! A new entry in the great D.C. song debate!
Now, keep in mind, anyone with enough District spirit to spend time writing and recording a song about our city is someone worth celebrating. But uhh, well, maybe we'll just let you make up your own minds on this one. If watching the YouTube video above isn't an option, you can also listen to the song, called "By George, It's Washington" and read the lyrics here. Just a taste:
No votes* but paddleboats,Now, if "By George, It's Washington" was expressly aimed at kids, we'd have an easier time getting behind its over-the-top cheese factor. But the accompanying press release purports the tune as an attempt to make good on Washington Post writer Paul Farhi's 2005 plea for a song that would "Make this town sound cool." Eep.
Cherry blossoms fill the air.
Foggy Bottom, Farragut Square
And great white columns everywhere!Georgetown, Tenleytown,
Metro down to Chinatown.
U Street can't be beat nor Rock Creek Park
And pandas barking at the zoo.
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Pandas bark?!
This song makes me want to move to a hipper city like Fresno.
Obviously my vote is for "Banned in DC"
Is this a Raffi cover?
Smart Went Crazy's "DC Will Do That To You" is a solid choice. I pretty much feel that way all the time.
gil scott heron's "washington, d.c." NEEDS to be on that list.
U Street can be beaten quite easily. Unless the contest is for "most overrated slum". It could probably win that.
I think the Slickee Boys pretty well summed up DC in their seminal single, "This Party Sucks."
I second Gil Scott Heron, not this Barney-the-Dinosauresque "By George" crap.
And re: Mambo Sauce, they should change the genre from GoGo to StopStop [zing!].
Why do they show the Montreal Canadians mascot at 1:08??
That is the most awful song I've ever heard.
And yes, that is the Montreal Canadians macot. wow.
first, it's the canadiens, not canadians. his name is youppi!, and he's in there because he used to be the mascot for the expos, who are now the nationals.
second, my ears are bleeding. that was terrible, meant for kids, adults, or other.
third, my vote would be the rolling cash 5 jingle!
Awful. Awful. Awful.
If I were a Canadians supporter, I'd be suing.
Did he carry his hockey stick to Expos games as well?
Worst. Song. Ever.
I would submit this line from The Hold Steady:
The devil and John Berryman took a walk together
They ended up in Washington talking to the river.
He said "I surrounded myself with doctors and deep thinkers,
but big heads with soft bodies make for lousy lovers".
That, or the Eastern Motors jingle of course.
Guy, that's "on" Washington. Totally not applicable.
Forget the new songs. Stick with the classics.
When you take Jhoon Rhee self defense
Then you too can say
"Nobody bothers me!"
"Nobody bothers me!"
Call USA-1000
Jhoon Rhee means "Might for right!"
"Nobody bother me!"
"Nobody bother me either!"
Ah, yes. The Twin City kisses that sound like clicks and hisses should have been a clue. Respectfully withdrawn.
Let's not forget "You're My Miss Washington, D.C.," by the Nation of Ulysses.
"Leaving Adams Morgan," by Swearing at Motorists is good, too.
And good catch on the Hold Steady lyrics, chaz. The city in question is Minneapolis (as in so many other Hold Steady jams).
"At Eastern Motors,
Your job's your credit;
At Eastern Motors,
Your job's your credit."
-John Singleton, "At Eastern Motors, Your Job's Your Credit"
Monkey,
Thank you for the Karate reference, I sing that jingle all the time and have to explain it to everyone...lame
What, no love for "Chocolate City"?
No Decemberists' "The Bagman`s Gambit"??
After months of lurking, I just registered as a commentor specifically so I could second the nomination of the Jhoon Rhee song. Clearly the greatest local music moment ever.
For the sadly uninformed:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7PEMGuA6tw
Also, believe it or not, "Nobody Bothers Me" was written by one of DC's most famous musical natives, Nils Lofgren.
Alright, I admit to sitting through that whole nasty thing, only because I REFUSE to be BEATEN by such a mumbling poison nightmare...
And now I'm left waiting for a gale of blood from Killer God to cleanse me... to cleanse me... no, I still HEAR IT... I CAN STILL HEAR IT....
There's no way out, there's no way out... It's R.Bud Dwyer's way or NO WAY.... MAKE IT STOPPP!
Monkey is on to something, Jhoon Rhee is a legend amongst the DC karate scene.
-Class of '91 w/gold belt (two stripes) and original Jhoon Rhee t-shirt
Holy crap, that Jhoon Rhee thing is amazing. There's an OK Go cover on youtube too, since some of them are from the area.
I once heard a song in a coffee shop in Georgetown that was FANTASTIC about DC. I have never been able to track it down.
It was mostly guitar, and it was about flying into DC. Something about "watching the lights of Washington, DC." anyone know of it?
Also, believe it or not, "Nobody Bothers Me" was written by one of DC's most famous musical natives, Nils Lofgren.
See, now that ain't right. That's like finding out Patty Smith didn't write Because The Night, or that Tom Waits did a dogfood commercial.
Thank you for the Karate reference, I sing that jingle all the time and have to explain it to everyone...lame
WifeRat is a fairly recent transplant to DC and is mystified by the place that "Nobody Bothers Me" holds in my psyche.
What about Dismemberment Plan's "The City"? It's about DC, I guess, and it's appropriately melancholy.