BeCause

Travel with a Song

September 05, 2018
There is a lot to associate with September – seasons changing, meals getting hardier, days getting shorter. Here’s another one: It may be the month of the year most closely associated with a song. Can the calendar hit September 1st – or, more specifically, September 21st – without thinking of Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September”?

It’s easy to laugh about, but songs are some of the most direct stimuli for emotions, memories, and even senses. They can remind someone of home, of a loved one, or of a memory. And they can also inspire action – including travel.

So, to kick off the month, we wanted to run through our catalog and find the theme songs to some of our favorite destinations. If you want to sell some nonprofit fundraising auction travel packages, maybe start with a playlist including these ditties.
 
“Danke Schoen” – There are thousands of songs about New York that could go here – your boomer donors might prefer “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra, while younger supporters could go for “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z – but recalling Central Park in fall will never go out of style.

“California Dreaming” – The Golden State is appealing at all times of year, but this the Mama and the Papas song highlights not just what’s great about the state, but when it’s great as a destination: “California dreaming, on such a winter’s day…”

“Rocky Mountain High” – John Denver’s ode to the night skies above Colorado has been the state’s unofficial theme song for decades both on its more populous eastern slope cities like Denver or Boulder, or its mountain towns like one of our favorites, Telluride.

“San Francisco” – There may be no better time than now to break out this ‘60s favorite, with 2018 being the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. Assuredly there have been countless visitors to The City inspired by Scott MacKenzie’s advice to “wear flowers in your hair.”

“Sweet Home Chicago” – Be it Robert Johnson’s original (with it’s confusing lines, “Back to the land of California/Sweet Home Chicago”) or the Blues Brothers’ rendition, the Windy City anthem is as tied to Chicago as deep-dish pizza and the Chicago Cubs.

“Kokomo” – No, the titular island of the Beach Boys’ song doesn’t actually exist (though a resort did name its private island “Kokomo” after the song came out, for publicity’s sake). But the chorus lists off a few of our Caribbean favorites – Jamaica, Bahamas – along with Key West and Bermuda. Close enough for most beachgoers!

“Viva Las Vegas” – Sure, it’s an outdated view of Sin City; today’s vice of choice, thanks to a major influx of world-class restaurants, is likely gluttony. But Elvis’ tribute to Lady Luck (and ladies in general) is still heard up and down the Strip.



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