Best/Favorite Song about North Carolina

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donbosco

donbosco

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What’s your favorite song about North Carolina? In 1958 one of the most famous Tar Heel-related tunes hit #1 on the Billboard Charts — “Tom Dooley” as sung by The Kingston Trio. Lots of us can sing that one and quite a few know the sad and too common tale of love and violence it tells. But what else is ‘Out There’ that mentions North Carolina or a place, event, or person with Old North State connections? “The Wreck of the Old 97,” sung by many but made most famous by Johnny Cash names Spencer, NC in the opening stanza. Ben Folds Five’s “Where's Summer B?” laments the downfall of Chapel Hill’s beloved loon magnet The Hardback Cafe. Townes Van Zandt once looked up from Texas at a “Greensboro Woman” - a song for driving if you ask me. What Other Songs Can You Name (or link below to a YouTube or Lyrics site?) Kingston Trio Hits the Top of the Charts with “Tom Dooley” in 1958
 
James Taylor's "Country Road," about NC 87, not to be confused with John Denver's "Country Roads" about either the state West Virginia or the western most portion of Virginia depending on what you want to believe or how you intrepret the lyrics. Taylor's "Country Road" is NOT about some highway in Massachusetts regardless of what Wikipedia says.
 
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I know there is some discussion as to whether it refers to North Carolina or our neighbor to the South, but I always liked "Carolina in the Morning." Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore sang a great version of it on The Dick Van Dyke Show.
 



This one could be debated, but has always rung true for me having lived out of the state for many years.


This one is about Alabama, but like the Ryan Adams tune is really about the place you were raised and what keeps you connected or drawn back to that place. Good and bad.
 
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The Allman Brothers "Blue Sky" mentions "Going to Carolina". "Wagon Wheel" (Dylan/Old Crow Medicine Show) has a bunch of NC references.
 
donbosco said:
IMG_8633.jpeg

What’s your favorite song about North Carolina? In 1958 one of the most famous Tar Heel-related tunes hit #1 on the Billboard Charts — “Tom Dooley” as sung by The Kingston Trio. Lots of us can sing that one and quite a few know the sad and too common tale of love and violence it tells. But what else is ‘Out There’ that mentions North Carolina or a place, event, or person with Old North State connections? “The Wreck of the Old 97,” sung by many but made most famous by Johnny Cash names Spencer, NC in the opening stanza. Ben Folds Five’s “Where's Summer B?” laments the downfall of Chapel Hill’s beloved loon magnet The Hardback Cafe. Townes Van Zandt once looked up from Texas at a “Greensboro Woman” - a song for driving if you ask me. What Other Songs Can You Name (or link below to a YouTube or Lyrics site?) Kingston Trio Hits the Top of the Charts with “Tom Dooley” in 1958
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When I was like 6 or 7 my parents took us up to the lawn in front of the old Frank Porter Graham Student Union for a free Sunday afternoon concert. The Kingston Trio My first concert lol
 
I'd say the best tribute to the Franklin Street Kinkos ever, "Slack motherfucker"
 
I've always had a weird thing for "City Lights" by American Aquarium. But tons of their songs have more specific references to NC.
 
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