Since many musicians spend time touring the globe, their songs are often about the places they visit. Others pay homage to their hometown, often writing lyrics that tell stories of fond memories and nostalgic childhood dreams. Inspired by the many location-related songs of the past and present, UK-based design studio Dorothy created a map of the United States of America made from over 1,000 song titles. From classic tunes such as Sweet Home Alabama to California Girls, the vintage-style poster “will take you on a musical journey around the U.S.” through the country’s cities, rivers, mountains, highways, and landmarks.
While many of the famous songs featured are clearly associated with a specific location—such as Straight Outta Compton (N.W.A) and Georgia On My Mind (Ray Charles)—others require you to dig deeper to find hidden meanings within the lyrics. “There are specific reasons for the placement of every song on the map,” Dorothy tells My Modern Met. “Some might not be that obvious at first, and some of our favorite song choices are the ones which require a little extra thought about a possible connection.” Some of the head-scratchers include Homecoming by Kanye West that’s placed near the rapper’s hometown of Chicago, and Gold Rush by Neil Young that references Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California.
A handy A-Z list featured at the bottom of the poster details the names of the artists behind each song. And Dorothy has even made a whopping 61-hour Spotify playlist, featuring all of the songs on the poster.
Love this concept? You can buy the The U.S.A. Song Map on Dorothy’s website.
UK-based design studio Dorothy created a map of the United States of America made up from over 1,000 song titles.
The vintage-style poster “will take you on a musical journey around the U.S.” through the country’s many cities, rivers, mountains, highways, and landmarks.
Dorothy: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Dorothy.
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