Sick Burns!: An 80's Podcast

Pandering to America: Huey Lewis and James Brown List Cities

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Episode notes

There's nothing a big stadium concert crowd loves more than hearing the name of their city shouted by their favorite rock star. In the 80's, a few performers figured out how to work the names of many U.S. cities into hit songs, in what can only be described as pandering to audiences hungry for recognition of their American hometowns.

In 1984, Huey Lewis and the News had a hit with "Heart of Rock & Roll," which worked 15 cities into a top-10 hit. In 1985, the Godfather of Soul James Brown made it to number four-- and scored a Grammy-- with  "Living in America," squeezing in nine mentions. The song is also well remembered for being a breakout hit from the movie "Rocky IV."

We break down both songs with our 21st-century lens.

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