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Real Lyrics -> Real Places Mentioned in Songs -> Steely Dan

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Real Places Mentioned in Songs, Steely Dan

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A Decade Of Steely Dan album at Amazon.com
Steely Dan's, "Babylon Sisters"
The Lyrics:
Drive west on Sunset to the sea

San Francisco show and tell

Like a Sunday in T.J.
Why:
Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California

San Francisco, California

Tijuana, Mexico
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Bad Sneakers"
The Lyrics:
And that fearsome excavation on Magnolia Boulevard

Stompin' on the avenue by Radio City
Why:
Magnolia Boulevard, Burbank, Los Angeles, California

NBC’s West Coast Radio City, Burbank, Los Angeles, California
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Barrytown"
The Lyrics:
But over there in Barrytown they do things very strange
Why:
Barrytown, New York State
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Black Cow"
The Lyrics:
I saw you in Rudy's

Down to Greene Street, there you go
Why:
Rudy’s Bar and Grill, Manhattan, New York City

Greene Street, Manhattan, New York City
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Black Friday"
The Lyrics:
When Black Friday comes I'll fly down to Muswellbrook
Why:
Muswellbrook, New South Wales, Australia
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Bodhisattva"
The Lyrics:
The shine of your Japan, the sparkle of your China
Why:
The Asian countries of Japan and China
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)"
The Lyrics:
A tower room at Eden Rock

Brooklyn owes the charmer under me
Why:
The Eden Rock (apartment building), Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City

The borough of Brooklyn in New York City
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More"
The Lyrics:
Daddy don't live in that New York City no more

Daddy don't need no lock and key
For the piece he stowed out on Avenue D

Driving like a fool out to Hackensack
Why:
New York City

Avenue D, Manhattan, New York City

Hackensack, New Jersey
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Deacon Blues"
The Lyrics:
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Why:
The state of Alabama
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Do it Again"
The Lyrics:
Then you find you're back in Vegas with a handle in your hand
Why:
Las Vegas, Nevada
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Don't Take Me Alive"
The Lyrics:
Well I crossed my old man back in Oregon
Why:
The state of Oregon
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Dr Wu"
The Lyrics:
Biscayne Bay, where the Cuban gentlemen sleep all day
Why:
Biscayne Bay, Florida
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Gaucho"
The Lyrics:
Look at you, holding hands with the man from Rio
Why:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Glamour Profession"
The Lyrics:
It's a glamour profession, the L.A. concession

Off to Barbados just for the ride

Hollywood, I know your middle name

Jive Miguel, he's in from Bogota

At Mr. Chow's, Szechuan dumplings
Why:
Los Angeles, California

Barbados, Caribbean

Hollywood is probably not the place in California, but a reference to Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson who played for the Dallas Cowboys in the late 70s and was banned from the NFL because of his drug use

Bogota, Colombia

Mr. Chow is a Chinese restaurant in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

Szechuan is a province of China
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Haitian Divorce"
The Lyrics:
Tearful reunion in the USA
Why:
United States of America
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Hey Nineteen"
The Lyrics:
Sweet things from Boston
So young and willing
Moved down to Scarsdale
Why:
Boston, Massachusetts

Scarsdale, New York State
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Kid Charlemagne"
The Lyrics:
Those San Francisco nights, you were the best in town

You'd go to L.A. on a dare
Why:
San Francisco, California

Los Angeles, California
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "King of the World"
The Lyrics:
Any man left on the Rio Grande is the king of the world

Driving in my car through the ruins of Santa Fe
Why:
The Rio Grande (river)

Santa Fe, New Mexico
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Midnight Cruiser"
The Lyrics:
Drive me to Harlem or somewhere the same
Why:
Harlem, Manhattan, New York City
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "My Old School"
The Lyrics:
When you put me on the Wolverine up to Annandale

I'm gonna take her down to Mexico
She said, oh no, Guadalajara won't do now

California tumbles into the sea
Why:
Annandale-on-Hudson, New York State

Guadalajara, Mexico

The state of California
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Night by Night"
The Lyrics:
It's a beggars life, said the Queen of Spain
Why:
The Queen in the lyrics is from the European country of Spain
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Parker's Band"
The Lyrics:
Kansas City born and growing, you won't believe what the boys are blowing

You'll be grooving high or relaxing at Camarillo

Either way you're bound to function
Fifty-Second Street's the junction
Why:
Charlie Parker was born in Kansas City, Kansas, and raised in Kansas City, Missouri

In 1946, Charlie Parker was committed to the Camarillo State Mental Hospital in Camarillo, California. In 1947, he recorded a track called “Relaxin’ at Camarillo”

In 1943, Charlie Parker played in the jazz clubs on 52nd Street, Manhattan, New York
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Pearl of the Quarter"
The Lyrics:
On the water down in New Orleans
Why:
New Orleans, Louisiana
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Reelin’ in the Years"
The Lyrics:
The trip we made to Hollywood is etched upon my mind
Why:
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Rose Darling"
The Lyrics:
Daddy don't live in that New York City no more

Daddy don't need no lock and key
For the piece he stowed out on Avenue D

Driving like a fool out to Hackensack
Why:
New York City

Avenue D, Manhattan, New York City

Hackensack, New Jersey
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Rose Darling"
The Lyrics:
I would guess she's in Detroit with lots of money in the bank
Why:
Detroit, Michigan
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Show Biz Kids"
The Lyrics:
After closing time at the Guernsey Fair
Why:
Guernsey County Fair, Old Washington, Ohio
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "The Caves of Altamira"
The Lyrics:
When there wasn't even any Hollywood
Why:
The real Cave of Altamira, in the European country of Spain, is famous for its prehistoric cave paintings

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "The Royal Scam"
The Lyrics:
And they wandered in from the City of St. John without a dime

On the rising tide to New York City
Why:
The capital of Puerto Rico is San Juan, which translates to Saint John

New York City
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Time Out of Mind"
The Lyrics:
I am holding the mystical sphere, it's direct from Lhasa
Why:
Lhasa, in the Asian country of Tibet
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Turn That Heartbeat Over Again"
The Lyrics:
This highway runs from Paraguay
Why:
The South American country of Paraguay
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "Your Gold Teeth"
The Lyrics:
Tobacco they grow in Peking

There ain't nothing in Chicago for a monkey woman to do
Why:
Peking (Beijing) is the capital of China

Chicago, Illinois
Submitted by: Andy Primus
Steely Dan's, "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
The Lyrics:
I've made a mistake

Don't add the one titled "Rose Darling" with the "Daddy don't live in that New York City no more" lyrics
Why:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Submitted by: Andy Primus

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