Oh, man. I first heard this song while working at Halo Burger on Pierson Road. (On a tape -- no way a radio station would be playing ska back then.) Definitely captured a Flint vibe. The Specials were formed in Coventry, England, which is (was) the automotive center of Britain, so they knew what they were writing about.
Thanks for commenting. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.
Wow. I literally considered this song to be apt in thinking about Flint, when it was =released=, some 25(?) years ago.
ReplyDeleteI've always loved this song, but I never connected it with Flint, even though it's so obvious now.
ReplyDeleteOh, man. I first heard this song while working at Halo Burger on Pierson Road. (On a tape -- no way a radio station would be playing ska back then.) Definitely captured a Flint vibe. The Specials were formed in Coventry, England, which is (was) the automotive center of Britain, so they knew what they were writing about.
ReplyDeletemore songs for a shrinking city:
ReplyDeleteMy Favorite Buildings - Robyn Hitchcock
Ohio - The Pretenders
Big Yellow Taxi - Joni Mitchell
Hoover Factory - Elvis Costello
please feel free to add more...
sorry, the pretenders song is aptly named "my city was gone"... i was never that great with actual titles...
ReplyDelete