Iconic Music Destinations: London, New York City, Los Angeles

When an artist is inspired by a destination, it can be as obvious as Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Californication,” or as subtle as Leonard Cohen’s “Chelsea Hotel.” The fun part, beyond just listening to the music, is connecting to the lyrics in a way that moves you — even if that means across the country or across the pond.

Share your passion with the kids, or get invested in theirs with a fun music pilgrimage. Head out with the older children or inspire the younger kids while visiting the states, cities, specific sites and countries that inspired the music you know and love.

London

There are few bands as iconic as The Beatles. As a band, their music and history is so tied to England, specifically their hometown of Liverpool, they make for great inspiration to get out and explore in their footsteps. Super fans may know all the corners of the city to visit, but any fan can visit Abbey Road. You know the image, the band walking across a pedestrian walkway featured as cover art on the famous 1969 album, but the specific location is actually in the Camden neighborhood in Westminster, London. The B507 road is now more commonly known as Abbey Road from The Beatles’ album of the same name. Sounds like a great family photo opportunity!

“London Calling” by The Clash is one of the classics, but speaks about the city in a broad, general sense. Something like “Waterloo Sunset” by The Kinks is far more intricate. The song remembers the taxis, dark night, rolling river and fond memories of being alone on Waterloo Sunset. You won’t be alone, but you can still feel the energy while walking the banks or looking over the water from a hotel on your family vacation.

More recently, Adele had her own “Hometown Glory” while Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds had “Brompton Oratory” from a different perspective, as the band consists of Australian natives. David Bowie may technically be from England, although everything about him would tell you he was from out of this world, but his “London Bye Ta Ta” speaks for itself.

New York City

New York songs are basically a dime-a-dozen — Frank Sinatra’s legendary tune; the Beastie Boy’s homage to Brooklyn with “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”; Lou Reed’s darker stories in “Walk on the Wild Side”; Steve Wonder’s “Living for the City”; and Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” — it’s clear the city has an impact. Get a little more specific with your exploration and pinpoint a location.

Chelsea Hotel in downtown Manhattan, NYC. Photo: Jaswant Bhopal – Dreamstime.com

A little less mainstream, but involving way more romantic entanglement (and a good story to get the kids interested): “Chelsea Hotel” or “Chelsea Hotel No. 2,” by Leonard Cohen. The Canadian singer-songwriter was pretty new to New York City and definitely not the powerhouse of poetry and lyrics he became later in life, but one night at the Hotel Chelsea, Cohen met Janis Joplin. They had a short love affair Cohen later recalled in the song,

written about a year after her death:

I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel 

You were famous, your heart was a legend
You told me again you preferred handsome men 

But for me you would make an exception


There were always hints to who the song was about, but once the story became clear, the destination became even more iconic. The hotel is worth a visit, as it clearly made an impact on young writers, as it was even featured in “Sara” by Bob Dylan and “Chelsea Morning” by Joni Mitchell.

Los Angeles

One you might know all the words to, but not a lot of its deeper meaning, Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” is a story of growing and moving on — specifically in Los Angeles, California. The song depicts Petty driving away from the life and girl he has known, heading off to freedom along Ventura Boulevard. He also mentions Mulholland, about 20 miles of scenic highway winding through the rugged, mountainous regions of Los Angeles County. Drive along the scenic highways with the family and take in the same views and key points that inspired so many to move and sing about the West.

Los Angeles, like New York, has been immortalized in art and music too many times to count. Sometimes a city plays the biggest character in an origin story, but it can also be a symbol of a more complicated and hurtful relationship, like in Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Californication.” The song may sound fun and upbeat, but it’s actually rife with complicated feelings and battles with addiction and depression. Your kids may already know, but Anthony Kiedis goes into explicit detail about this song and others in his memoir, Scar Tissue, which paints a much different picture of Los Angeles than the “Party in the U.S.A”s of the world.

While the iconic destinations featured in legendary music can truly go on forever, if you’re looking to hit the top spots on a trip to New York, Los Angeles or London, your family already has their work cut out for them. It’s no easy task deciphering your favorite song lyrics, but chances are, there’s going to be a bit of geography involved.