Baltimore

"Baltimore is music
Dancing in the street
Half-chewed Dubble Bubble
Tugging at our feet

Melted tar in crosswalks
Crab shells in the park
Pavement frying our poor toes
Until long after dark

When night comes we can go walking
On the shores of Chesapeake Bay
A silence tailored for talking
And a love with so much to say…."

Strawberry Alarm Clock, "Barefoot in Baltimore"

The city of Baltimore is something of an enigma. It's not a popular film setting, unless you're John Waters; it's frequently overlooked in favor of such neighboring metropolises as Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. But in a way, that's what gives Baltimore its charm. It's a city where opera finds its roots as popular entertainment, where one finds a distinctly northern spirit despite Baltimore's southern sympathies during the civil war; it's a place that was once the home of H.L. Mencken and Billie Holiday. Despite its aristocratic roots--it's named for the former proprietors of the Maryland colony--there's something determinedly everyday about the city. At the same time, it's keenly aware of its history, and songs about Baltimore tend to reflect this.

Perhaps that's why the new musical Hairspray, based on the Waters film of the same title, opens with a hopeful, joyous paean to the city: "Good Morning, Baltimore." Tracy Turnblad, the story's protagonist, is determined to bring fame both to herself and to her often-overlooked city, while at the same time recognizing Baltimore's less-than-glittery reality: "Good morning, Baltimore/There's the flasher who lives next door/There's the bum on his barroom stool/They wish me luck on my way to school." Neon and glitz, one thinks, would be out of place here.

And yet, Baltimore's most celebrated child was a woman who in many ways embodied glamour: Billie Holiday, who acquired the title Lady Day during her career. Although Holiday achieved her success primarily in New York City, and had few positive things to say about her natal city, a mayor-sponsored singing competition in Baltimore is named for her, and the film Lady Sings the Blues dealt in part with this early part of Holiday's life. Although Baltimore's place in jazz history isn't as large as that of, say, New Orleans or New York, that place is a substantial one. Bix Beiderbecke, the cornetist whose contribution to early jazz ranks alongside Louis Armstrong's in importance, was one of several jazz musicians to record the classic piece "Baltimore."

Like many cities, Baltimore has been vulnerable to fire. In February 1904, a fire spread through Baltimore's business district. Firefighting crews from as far away as New York came to help fight the blaze, which destroyed over 70 city blocks. The fire was immortalized in the song "Baltimore Fire," most recently recorded by folk musician Nick Kroes. Although the city quickly recovered, becoming a major source of industry and rapidly reclaiming its status as an important east coast seaport, the fire remains an important event in Baltimore's history.

Baltimore's history as a port goes back almost to its founding in 1729. By the opening of the American Revolution, Baltimore was a major center of shipping and trade. The city was a British target during the War of 1812, and Francis Scott Key's "The Star-Spangled Banner" was written after the defense of Baltimore and the nearby Fort McHenry. The city even lent its name to a type of ship, the Baltimore clipper, which was developed by shipbuilders on the Chesapeake Bay during the 18^th century. Singer-songwriter Otis Read recorded the song "Baltimore Clipper" for his collection of seagoing-related songs, The Wind in the Rigging. Perhaps more well-known is "Port of Baltimore Blues," recorded by saxophonists Gerry Mulligan and Scott Hamilton in 1986.

Like most trading centers, Baltimore has also been a railroad town. The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was established by Baltimore merchants in 1827, and the first stone was laid by Charles Carroll, then the last surviving signer of the Declaration of Independence, who lent his name to a Maryland county. The line eventually ran all the way to Cleveland, and still exists today as the CSX freight line. Woody Guthrie's "Baltimore to Washington," a railroad song, focused on the short section of the line between the two cities. More recently, Elisa Peimer's "Last Train to Baltimore" shows that, in addition to its status as a seaport and a flight destination (Baltimore-Washington International is one of the east coast's busiest airports), Baltimore is still thought of as a railroad town.

Baltimore also lends its name to Maryland's state bird, the Baltimore Oriole. The Oriole was associated early on with the city's founder, whose family crest, Calvert, had colors similar to the Oriole's orange and black plumage. The city's baseball team was named for the Oriole in 1894, and Hoagy Carmichael wrote the song "Baltimore Oriole" in the 1930s. It has since been recorded several times, by many different artists, including Carmen McRae and Barbara Lea.

Over the years, Baltimore has accrued affection as well as history. Singer-songwriter Dave Hardin, who hails from West Virginia and lives in Maryland, wrote and recorded "Baltimore, You're Home to Me," which appeared on the soundtrack for the John Waters film Pecker. The song highlights many quintessential Maryland details: a party on the pier, horse races, and steamed crab.

Likewise, Carla Olson's bluesy, urgently soulful "Friends in Baltimore." Although Olson is primarily known as a producer, with this song she captures the mood of a city even when talking about it tangentially. And Celtic Thunder, the traditional Irish band based on the U.S. east coast, have recorded "In Praise of the City of Baltimore," a reel that indirectly recalls the city's Irish roots. True, K Through Six sing "I'm Leaving Baltimore," and the Counting Crows complain that "It's Raining in Baltimore," but it's still true that most songs about the city, like Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Barefoot in Baltimore," are affectionate in tone. Unpretentious, frequently overlooked in favor of its more glamourous neighbors, Baltimore is nonetheless clearly more than a stop on Amtrak's northeast corridor line, or a brief glimpse from the window of a plane.

Genevieve Williams is a freelance writer specializing in music, book reviews, and film. She is a former music editor for Amazon.com and a regular contributor to Blues Revue.