Songs that reference Nebraska?

The Faint's song Southern Belles in London Sing references Eppley Airfield - which as an out-of-stater, was really #$%# confusing to me the first dozen or so times I heard it.

there's tarkio's "sister nebraska." desaperacidos' "greater omaha" has always been one of my favorites of the saddle creek songs about omaha. and let's not forget richard marx's epic "hazard."

The Justin Bieber song..."Omaha Mall" haha

"Dressed Up Like Nebraska" is the song Paste magazine picked for their "50 New State Songs For the 21st Century" list.

Oh, and "I Hate to Wake Up Sober in Nebraska," by Free Hot Lunch

And maybe this is cheating? But here's a list I used when making a Nebraska mixtape for a roadtrip ...

The ultimate, of course, is Grand Funk Railroad's hump-anthem "We're An American Band."

Four young chiquitas in Omaha
Waitin' for the band to return from the show
A feelin' good, feelin' right and it's Saturday night
The hotel detective, he was outta sight

from "We're An American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad. Apparently they tore that hotel down.

Omaha by Tapes 'n Tapes

The classic "Omaha" by Moby Grape

Lady Gaga's new song " You and I" refrences her "cool Nebraska guy' .

Sally by Gogol Bordello, off Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike

"Sally was a 15 year old girl from Nebraska, gypsies were passing though her little town"

and

Get it in Ohio by Cam'rom off Crime Pays
In the outro he alludes to the midwest cities in which he has connections:
"Everybody in the whole Midwest, Indiana
Nebraska - Omaha, what's happenin?"

"Nebraska Bricks" by Saves the Day

"Nebraska" by moe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKME-u1tMHI

There's an "Omaha" by Waylon Jennings. It's actually pretty great too.

Is it cheating to include songs by bands from here? I mean, Omaha, and places in Omaha, are mentioned in several songs by The Good Life, for example - it almost feels like a gimme.

Otherwise, Omaha's mentioned in Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Free no. 10"

I'm gonna ride into Omaha on a horse
Out to the country club and the golf course
Carry a New York Times, shoot a few holes
And blow their minds

Ode To A 1973 Chevy Open Road by David Dondero from the album Spider West Myhskin And A City Bus

comin to shore in the rockies and
shore in appalachia
achipelago chicago
isle of omaha
hallelujah

Gwenyth & Monko, a touring duo from California just released a new album. The title song is called "Found In Benson", in which they sing about Omaha, Benson, The Barley Street Tavern, and Kyle Harvey. You can hear it here. http://www.gwynethandmonko.com/

The Waylon song "Omaha" is pretty great. I was written by Billy Joe Shaver and Hillman Hall. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Yxh0q5BI-s

There is also an excellent old swing band called Ole Rasmussen and his Nebraska Cornhuskers. Rasmussen and the band were real big nationally in the 40s and 50s and were based in California.

They had at least two Nebraska songs: "Nebraska Moon" and "The Sandhills of Old Nebraska". I have the latter on a vinyl record I bought a few years ago.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v240/Birdy37/OleRasmussen.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIjKnZNFDZk

of course Nebraska by moe.
and let's not forget Omaha by Moby Grape

But of course: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfHcaAu-aNQ

How about the only album/artist that matters? Nebraska - Springsteen. It counts because the first track is...you guessed it, Nebraska.

Kansas City Star by Roger Miller is one of my faves as well as some of the ones mentioned earlier. The Omaha- referencing lyrics are:

Got a letter just this mornin' it was postmarked Omaha
It was typed and neatly written offerin' me this better job
Better job at higher wages expenses paid and a car
But I'm on TV here locally and I can't quit I'm a star
Haha I come on TV a grinnin' wearin' pistols and a hat
It's a kiddie show and I'm a hero of the youner set
I'm the No 1 attraction in ever' super market parking lot
I'm the king of Kansas City no thanks Omaha thanks a lot

The Mountain Goats - Shower
"The blackest storm I ever saw was coming in from Omaha"

Pavement - Starlings of the Slipstream
"There's no coast of Nebraska"

someone beat me to Richard Marx.

I thought I was gonna shut the thread down with that one.

damien jurado has a song called 'omaha.' and josh ritter's got one called 'letter from omaha.'

Kat Smith of Black Squirrels frequently references Nebraska in her songs.  "Ballad of Blondie & Rosie" and  "Mystery Girl."  Don't forget their song "Ever Been to Omaha?"

Simon Joyner has a song called, "The Only Living Boy in Omaha."   I believe he is supposed to be alluding to Conor Oberst, but that is debatable.

i was gonna say STD's "nebraska bricks" & Damien Jurado's "omaha", but it looks like those have been mentioned.

i didn't know andrew bird has a song about North Platte....that's my home town. Gonna have to listen to the song now and see what he has to say about that dump! ha

Yeah, Andrew Bird's "A Nervous Tic Motion" contains the line:

Six miles south of North Platte

And I think he reverses it once and says Six mile north of South Platte

I'm not sure. Anyway... Cheers!

Bright Eyes, "I Watched You Taking Off"

Damien Jurado of Seattle has a song called Omaha off of "Where Shall You Take Me?". 

"Cowboy of omaha
Drives with his three kids
To a house where they live
Where you been?

We've been out driving
Seeing the sights
The land of nebraska
Is beautiful at night

Our car was the ship
Daddy, the captain
He let us steer & pretend
We were driving"

"Omaha"; Counting Crows

how has no one said bob seger - turn the page? 

Charlie Daniels in "Uneasy Rider"
"I wonder if anybody'd think I'd flipped / If I went to LA...via Omaha."

There's "Omaha Stylee" by 311 (uh oh did I make a mistake bringing that up?)

Of course my Wounded Animals give a nod in our international hit song "3.2 Beers," as witnessed in this Love Drunk vid:

Shaun Sparks: 3.2 Beers from Love Drunk on Vimeo.

On a less obscure note, I remember a pretty good King's X album when I was a kid called "Gretchen Goes To Nebraska" - I really want to hear that again... gotta go, I have a date with itunes

Electric Needle Room's "Oleaver's Pub" song.

The pistoleros song "Guardian Angel" references "those cold Nebraska nights."

Rilo Kiley: "The Execution of all Things"
"Then we'll go to Omaha to work and exploit the booming music scene and humility"

311: "Omaha Stylee"
O.A.R. "This Town"

Omaha is mentioned in "Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis" by Tom Waits, although the cover by Neko Case is far superior.

Zac Brown Band - Colder Weather

the geography of the song seems to point to Nebraska

"At a truck stop diner just outside of Lincoln,The night is black as the coffee he was drinkin', And in the waitress' eyes he sees the same 'ol light shinin', He thinks of Colorado And the girl he left behind"

I became a member simply to reply with this video. You all are lucky!

Yet here I am singing it:

Hooray, John! I have definitely left that song on someone's voicemail before. Big ups to LaraK for sharing this motherfucker!

Kronos Quartet has a great tune titled "North Platte, Nebras-katte"

Hello in There by John Prine:

We had an apartment in the city,
Me and Loretta liked living there.
Well, it'd been years since the kids had grown,
A life of their own left us alone.
John and Linda live in Omaha,
And Joe is somewhere on the road.
We lost Davy in the Korean war,
And I still don't know what for, don't matter anymore.

Sawyer Brown's tribute to Brook Berringer, "The Nebraska Song"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XORGoTmLJ8

While written by someone else, and performed by scores of others, Hank Snow had a huge hit with "I've Been Everywhere"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W47c6w46Cgc

And Viggo Mortensen has "Letter From Nebraska" which I used to have a recording of, but can't lay my hands on right now. (Some might not consider it strictly a song.)
http://www.discogs.com/Viggo-Mortensen-Dont-Tell-Me-What-To-Do/release/1...

.

"Calamity Song" by the Decemberists off "The King is Dead."

"And the Andalusian tribes
Setting the lay of Nebraska alight
'Til all that remains is the arms of the angel..."

I apologize if someone mentioned this already since I skimmed the replies fairly quickly. Dallas Green/City and Colour references Lincoln in one of his songs but not in a good day. The title of the song is "Coming Home" and the line is:

I've never been to Alaska

But I can tell you this

I've been to Lincoln, Nebraska

And, hell, you know it ain't worth shit.

I roll my eyes every time I hear that part.