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Wednesday 27 February 2019

State of the Union - Pennsylvania


George writes

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is by no means one of the rainiest cities in the USA. It’s average yearly rainfall is 38.2 inches (970mm to us Europeans), which although significantly higher than the USA as a whole (a mere 30.2 inches/767mm)  is actually below the average for the

state (42.9 inches/1089mm).  So does Pittsburgh experience  it’s rain as “little but often” or “occasional massive downpours”? I think it’s closer to the former, Pittsburgh has 151 rainy days per year, making it, by that measure, the fifth rainiest city in the entire USA; the city only has 59 clear sunny days a year, 103 partly cloudy, and 203 cloudy, putting it on  a par with Seattle. And Seattle has slightly less rain, on average, than Pittsburgh. But compared with San Antonio Texas, 151 days a year of rain is A LOT (San Antonio only has 77 days a year) which might help to explain why Jim Carsten wrote today’s first song (he’s from San Antonio), and you must by now have guessed what it is, you would have to on an intellectual par with Chris Grayling not to.


In 1985 The Vibes did a cover version of the song I’m In Pittsburgh (And It’s Rainin’), which is absolutely tremendous. Loud, fast, shouty, frantic, desperate, moaning, screechy guitar, screaming, it’s the best song you will listen to today. It’s on the 12 inch single Inner Wardrobes of Your Mind, which also has the even better song I Hear Noises.


I have given you the best song you will hear today, and possibly for the next seven days, so it’s a bit difficult to follow it up. But follow it I must, and will.

And it would be completely perverse to exclude a song with Philadelphia in the title, and here’s one that fits that category. No, not Hall & Oates “Fall in Philadelphia”, which if it was actually about Mark E Smith and co. in that city would absolutely be included. Not James Taylor’s “Sailing to Philadelphia” (get a grip, how the hell would you expect that???), not the song from the film Philadelphia, the one by Neil Young, which is just too dreary for words, and not even that splendid pop song by Elton John. Nope, it’s a version of a well-covered song, by Bonnie Owens. That would be Mrs Buck Owens.


That’s a Woodie Guthrie song for you. Performed by Mrs Merle Haggard.


That’s Pennsylvania, the home of the town of Hazleton, where 19 miners were shot dead in 1857, and where it is illegal for teachers to drink a fizzy drink whilst teaching. Quite right. And where Betsy Ross did not make the first version of the national flag of the USA.

More next week.

CC writes
George, it was either this or Springsteen

Elton John - Philadelphia Freedom

15 comments:

  1. CC, you made the right decision, posting a splendid pop song (an opinion not shared by the person next to me)

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  2. There is the Marah album Kids in Philly which referes to Christian Street in Philadelphia but that might be a wee bit tenuous

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  3. You are of course so right, George: that Vibes - track is a masterpiece, haven't heard it for quite a while, so: thanks!

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    1. Dirk, you are welcome. Have you listened to the Bonnie Owens track yet?

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    2. Totally agree about the brilliant Vibes track - spare, snarly & frenetic. Disappointingly it only managed a lowly 37 in Peel's 1985 Festive 50. There were some great tracks that year though.

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  4. This is the only song about Pittsburgh you will ever need:

    https://youtu.be/8lknSFCtkvY

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    1. If I have to feature a song by Mr Mitchell I will really be scraping the barrel (eu vou a ser raspar o barril, as we official residents of the country say)

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    2. You'll be grateful for his "Little Pretty Sweetie From Sioux City" when you get to South Dakota

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  5. Can I just say that I am a European and I would measure rain in inches as opposed to milimetres.
    Being from Glasgow 38.2 inches is merely a wet weekend

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  6. "Have You Ever Been to Pittsburgh?
    Do you think you'd wanna go?
    Have You Ever Been to Pittsburgh? (It's in Pennsylvania!)
    Do you think you'd wanna go?
    Well, if you wanna go to Pittsburgh.
    Get on the bus and go!"

    (The finest - and shortest - son about Pittsburgh. Written & recorded by Loudon Wainwright III but NOT available on Youtube, although there are versions on Spotify and you can buy it on Amazon & the like.)

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  7. Very surprised nobody has mentioned Pennsylvania 6-5000 yet. My dad was a big Glen Miller fan. I heard the Andrews Sisters version the other day and was shocked to hear them singing 65-5 oh oh oh.

    I may come back later and bore you with other suggestions. Or I might give you a break this week.

    The Philadelphia All Stars deserve a shout out too.

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    1. Not that these picks weren't great, but I was surprised too, Rol. Also surprised nobody mentioned your Billy Joel with Allentown. That song defined economically ravaged blue-collar Pennsylvania for many many years. For me, Pennsylvania is driving the horrendous Pennsylvania Turnpike, Philly cheesesteaks, Rocky, the '79 Pittsburgh Pirates, the Andy Warhol Museum and Frank Lloyd Wright's beautiful Fallingwater. Musically, Hall & Oates, Todd Rundgren and the original American Bandstand are what first spring to mind.

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  8. When I wrote about Pennsylvania the Vibes and Louden Wainwright were mentioned then, and Pennsyvania 6-5000 (but it was the number of the Hotel in New York actually).

    My take on the state centred on the movies made there so I had the Rocky soundtrack, the soundtrack from The Deerhunter and from Tarantino's Jackie Brown, as full of the Philly Sound courtesy of the Delfonics.

    Well done on this series.

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