Pittsburgh pops up in plenty of music, and never simply from native acts like Wiz Khalifa and the late Mac Miller. Whereas town itself has appeared in songs from “Dwelling in American” by James Brown to “Ode To Pittsburgh” By Loudon Wainwright III, some musicians have centered particularly on celebrities from the realm. Pittsburgh Metropolis Paper discovered just a few rock songs that pay tribute to artists, actors, and, in a single occasion, a well-known soccer participant who grew up right here.
“Dan Marino” – MJ Lenderman
“My daddy noticed Dan Marino at a Harris Teeter in South Carolina by the shore.” Thus begins “Dan Marino,” a observe from Asheville-based solo artist MJ Lenderman’s 2022 album Boat Songs. The grungy, nation western-tinged tune recounts an opportunity encounter with the previous Miami Dolphins quarterback who initially grew up in Pittsburgh, and whose title nonetheless graces native landmarks (see: Dan Marino Discipline in Oakland).
Inside a traces, the track goes from Marino seemingly lacking his glory days after seeing Tom Brady on a field of Wheaties, solely to recuperate when he goes out on a ship and sees — what else? — dolphins. “However I believe large Dan will likely be alright, for he’s a corridor of famer,” Lenderman sings, lending a unusually reassuring, comforting tone to the track.
“Andy Warhol” – David Bowie
The late Pittsburgh-born pop artist received his personal observe on Bowie’s iconic 1971 album Hunky Dory. With jangly acoustic guitar and stripped-down percussion, listeners are handled to a extra cynical view of Warhol, with Bowie singing lyrics like, “Gown my mates up only for present, see them as they are surely.”
The track has developed a little bit of a fame over the many years, with the U.Ok. journal, Far Out, stating how Warhol disliked Bowie’s ode. “I took the track to The Manufacturing unit after I first got here to America and performed it to him,” Bowie later recalled, referring to Warhol’s well-known New York Metropolis studio. “And he hated it. Loathed it. He went ‘Oh, uh-huh, okay…’ then simply walked away.” Yikes.
“Jeff Goldblum” – Mattiel
Pittsburgh appears to supply delightfully bizarre actors (see additionally Michael Keaton, who will come up later on this piece), with Goldblum being the king of this unusual breed. Mattiel, an indie duo primarily based out of Atlanta, Ga., declared their love for the Jurassic Park actor and #daddy heartthrob with a observe off their 2022 album Georgia Gothic. “He got here and met me within the lavatory, little like a youthful Jeff Goldblum,” sings lead vocalist Mattiel Brown, solely to match the unnamed topic to Ichabod Crane, her “Sleepy Hole child standing within the rain.”
“Properly, my crush on Jeff Goldblum could be very actual,” Brown says on the web site for Georgia Gothic‘s label, ATO Information. “He impressed the phrases — however that is extra of a dream the place a Jeff look-a-like meets me in a toilet.”
Undecided how Goldblum, a reedy gentleman who clocks in at 6′ 4″, would really feel about being in the identical camp as Crane however, clearly, Mattiel has a kind, and we assist it.
“Michael Keaton” – Rozwell Child
The rock band Rozwell Child is perhaps primarily based in West Virginia, however their track about Keaton makes for an ideal tribute to the Pittsburgh native who went from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to the large display. The observe off their 2017 album Treasured Artwork follows two younger mates whose love for Keaton’s Batman films results in fantasies about discovering the actor’s home. “You might be out in Hollywood, we’re leaving residence for good, and with my Walkman I’m gonna stroll, man, straight to your doorbell and ring it and say how nice you might be,” sings Jordan Hudkins, his vocals boosted by guitars, drums, and synths harking back to Nineties energy pop.
Do you’ve got a favourite track a few Pittsburgh movie star? Tell us at awaltz@pghcitypaper.com.
