Randy Newman - "Baltimore" (mp3)
Nina Simone - "Baltimore" (mp3)
Mullyman - "Oh Baltimore" (mp3)
In 1977, Randy Newman released "Baltimore" on Little Criminals, incidentally the same album that featured "Short People," which it's long been rumored was banned from being played on Maryland radio stations (apparently legislation was introduced but not passed). I have no idea if Newman's ever been to Baltimore besides maybe as a tourstop, but the lyrics are about as superficial and cliched a description of a city as "I Love L.A." Still, it's kind of a nice sad song that does ring true in some ways, even if the "town by the sea" line is kind of wrong (and Journey didn't do their "city by the bay" song until a year later, so Randy has no excuse for calling the Chesapeake Bay "the sea").
In '78, Nina Simone covered the song as the title track to her album Baltimore, which, by the account of the reissue's liner notes, she didn't have much say in the song selection or arrangements of, and didn't particularly like. The album is full of traditionals and contemporary covers that range from the great (Aretha's "That's All I Want From You") to the incredibly awkward (Hall & Oates's "Rich Girl"), but her recording of "Baltimore" is really good, sounding sadder and more sincere than the original despite the slight reggae bounce.
I came upon the song in a backwards way, in 2004, when I heard Baltimore rapper Mullyman sample Simone's version for "Oh Baltimore." It was the first track I ever heard by Mully, before he collaborated with The Clipse and Freeway and his profile started to skyrocket, and "Oh Baltimore" is still probably my favorite song by him. Lyrically it says more about the town more bluntly than just a bunch of vague "hard times in the city" shit. And the fact that I own at least 6 different albums and mixtapes with that song on it is proof enough that "Oh Baltimore" is a modern classic of Bmore hip hop.
Nina Simone - "Baltimore" (mp3)
Mullyman - "Oh Baltimore" (mp3)
In 1977, Randy Newman released "Baltimore" on Little Criminals, incidentally the same album that featured "Short People," which it's long been rumored was banned from being played on Maryland radio stations (apparently legislation was introduced but not passed). I have no idea if Newman's ever been to Baltimore besides maybe as a tourstop, but the lyrics are about as superficial and cliched a description of a city as "I Love L.A." Still, it's kind of a nice sad song that does ring true in some ways, even if the "town by the sea" line is kind of wrong (and Journey didn't do their "city by the bay" song until a year later, so Randy has no excuse for calling the Chesapeake Bay "the sea").
In '78, Nina Simone covered the song as the title track to her album Baltimore, which, by the account of the reissue's liner notes, she didn't have much say in the song selection or arrangements of, and didn't particularly like. The album is full of traditionals and contemporary covers that range from the great (Aretha's "That's All I Want From You") to the incredibly awkward (Hall & Oates's "Rich Girl"), but her recording of "Baltimore" is really good, sounding sadder and more sincere than the original despite the slight reggae bounce.
I came upon the song in a backwards way, in 2004, when I heard Baltimore rapper Mullyman sample Simone's version for "Oh Baltimore." It was the first track I ever heard by Mully, before he collaborated with The Clipse and Freeway and his profile started to skyrocket, and "Oh Baltimore" is still probably my favorite song by him. Lyrically it says more about the town more bluntly than just a bunch of vague "hard times in the city" shit. And the fact that I own at least 6 different albums and mixtapes with that song on it is proof enough that "Oh Baltimore" is a modern classic of Bmore hip hop.
Labels: Baltimore City paper, hip hop, mp3, music babble
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