A useful article in 'The Guardian' explores some of the ways that cities are represented in music videos. This could be useful for those who are exploring the new Changing Place, Changing Places units, or the idea of Representations of Place.
There's a set of songs about city life too.
Here's one from me to start my list... what would be on yours?
Update
Here's some suggestions from Brendan Conway
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
Reason: Superb celebratory evocation of an urban place.
Summer in the city - Lovin' Spoonful
Reasons: Really captures life in a busy hot city with traffic jams and smog.
Do you know the way to San José? - Dionne Warwick.
Reasons: Captures the downside consequences of rural-urban migration but in a pleasant, catchy inoffensive tune - a trick which the likes of the Beautiful South followed more recently: 'And all the stars that never were, Are parking cars and pumping gas'. Also, when travelling around the USA by Greyhound, I remember arriving in downtown San José with a naively pleasant image of the place in my head from the song, but the reality was very disappointing.
Ghost Town - The Specials
Reasons: Captures the early eighties zeitgeist in many British cities but still has contemporary resonance. Have often used this in lessons.
I also like Mary Chapin Carpenter's 'I am a town'
There's a set of songs about city life too.
Here's one from me to start my list... what would be on yours?
Update
Here's some suggestions from Brendan Conway
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
Reason: Superb celebratory evocation of an urban place.
Summer in the city - Lovin' Spoonful
Reasons: Really captures life in a busy hot city with traffic jams and smog.
Do you know the way to San José? - Dionne Warwick.
Reasons: Captures the downside consequences of rural-urban migration but in a pleasant, catchy inoffensive tune - a trick which the likes of the Beautiful South followed more recently: 'And all the stars that never were, Are parking cars and pumping gas'. Also, when travelling around the USA by Greyhound, I remember arriving in downtown San José with a naively pleasant image of the place in my head from the song, but the reality was very disappointing.
Ghost Town - The Specials
Reasons: Captures the early eighties zeitgeist in many British cities but still has contemporary resonance. Have often used this in lessons.
I also like Mary Chapin Carpenter's 'I am a town'
Comments