Thursday, August 25, 2016

Songs of Place: Rockingham

A Song of Place is not simply a song that mentions place-names in the lyrics, but a song that shows a deep-seated connection to place. B. J. Barham's Rockingham is a good example.
Take be back to where I'm from / where the air is thick as tobacco gum.
You just can't make that particular observation if you don't know the place. Unless you've actually breathed that air. I think place is an important and under-appreciated aspect of every kind of art, not least songwriting.

So take a little journey to Rockingham, "right there on the river Dan."


It's Rockingham, North Carolina, by the way. Barham is a fine songwriter and lead-guy for the band American Aquarium.


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