Under-appreciated post-punk/college rock trailblazers, The Feelies
Musically, New Jersey is known for two big exports: Bruce Springsteen and (ugh) Bon Jovi. While reasonable minds may disagree over the merits of Springsteen and gang, the truth of the matter is that New Jersey is home to a rich and diverse music history that warrants further inspection.
Recently, I have used this column to profile a particular band that I believe deserves further exploration or has an interesting history. However, those articles require a great deal of work and I’m feeling a bit burnt out. So, in lieu of a longer piece, please enjoy this playlist of songs from musicians who call New Jersey home.
Count Basie, “The Kid from Red Bank”
Lesley Gore was raised in Tenafly, NJ.
Connie Francis was born in the Ironbound neighborhood of Newark and called Belleville home.
You may have to smear Vaseline on the lenses of your eyeglasses for this one…
Sinatra will always be the ultimate Jersey boy to me. As a bonus, this track features fellow Jersey native, Count Basie.
The beautiful Ms. Dionne Warwick is from East Orange.
Before she was Mrs. Bobby Brown and pop royalty, Whitney Houston sang in gospel choirs in her native NJ. (She is Dionne Warwick’s cousin.)
Walking cartoon character and noted Werewolf Nazi book-enthusiast, Glenn Danzig, and the rest of the Misfits are from Lodi.
She may be associated with New York’s punk scene but Debbie Harry is a Jersey girl at her core. After moving out of Manhattan, Debbie returned to her roots and relocated to New Jersey.
The Feelies!
Hoboken band, Yo La Tengo, is a much-beloved indie rock institution. This may be my favorite music video of all time.
The Smithereens were a big influence on Kurt Cobain while he was writing Nevermind.
The Fugees are from South Orange.
Titus Andronicus just sounds like the New Jersey I knew growing up. There’s something about them that reminds me of visiting friends at Rutgers and going to an over-crowded party in someone’s musty basement. Can’t you just smell the stale beer? (This song also probably has more NJ references than any song ever written.)
Ridgewood’s dreamy indie maestros, Real Estate, put out one of 2011’s best albums.
With so many musicians from my home state, it was impossible to include them all. Please feel free to add some more songs and artists in the comments.
