22 Songs That Mention Louisville (That Aren't By Louisville Artists)

Louisville has plenty of local musicians and musical exports who rep the 'Ville to a wider audience, but what about non-Louisvillian musicians who mention our city in their songs?

Inspired by a similar slideshow that CityBeat, one of our sister papers, made last year, we decided to put together this list of 22 songs that mention Louisville, with two caveats: one, the songs could not be by Jack Harlow, Bryson Tiller, My Morning Jacket, or other artists from Louisville; two, mentioning a Louisville Slugger without another reference to the city did not count.

Click each song title to listen to it. Are we missing your favorite? Let us know at [email protected]

All photos via Discogs.

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 Ella Fitzgerald — “Louisville, K-Y” 
“Take me back to Louisville,
Take me 'neath that southern sky,
Wanna see Louisville,
Louisville K-Y”

Ella Fitzgerald — “Louisville, K-Y”


“Take me back to Louisville,
Take me 'neath that southern sky,
Wanna see Louisville,
Louisville K-Y”
1 of 22
 Drake — “Sandra’s Rose” 
“Louisville hush money for my young gunners
Rick Pitino, I take 'em to strip clubs and casinos”

Drake — “Sandra’s Rose”


“Louisville hush money for my young gunners
Rick Pitino, I take 'em to strip clubs and casinos”
2 of 22
 Grandpa Jones — “Eight More Miles to Louisville” 
“Eight more miles and Louisville will come into my view
Eight more miles on this old road and I'll never more be blue
I knew someday that I'd come back, I knew it from the start
Eight more miles to Louisville, the hometown of my heart”

Grandpa Jones — “Eight More Miles to Louisville”


“Eight more miles and Louisville will come into my view
Eight more miles on this old road and I'll never more be blue
I knew someday that I'd come back, I knew it from the start
Eight more miles to Louisville, the hometown of my heart”
3 of 22
 Tom T. Hall — “Son of Clayton Delaney” 
“On Fourth Street in Louisville in 1978
Stranded in a honky-tonk, somewhere 'tween dates
There was a little band playin' as I sipped my beer
But I never thought that I'd hear what I'd hear”

Tom T. Hall — “Son of Clayton Delaney”


“On Fourth Street in Louisville in 1978
Stranded in a honky-tonk, somewhere 'tween dates
There was a little band playin' as I sipped my beer
But I never thought that I'd hear what I'd hear”
4 of 22
 Bob Dylan — “Lily of the West” 
“When first I came to Louisville
Some pleasure there to find
A damsel there from Lexington
Was pleasing to my mind”

Bob Dylan — “Lily of the West”


“When first I came to Louisville
Some pleasure there to find
A damsel there from Lexington
Was pleasing to my mind”
5 of 22
 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — “Wanted Man” 
“Wanted Man in Arizona, wanted man in Louisville
Wanted man deep in Death Valley
Wanted man up in the Hollywood Hill”

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — “Wanted Man”


“Wanted Man in Arizona, wanted man in Louisville
Wanted man deep in Death Valley
Wanted man up in the Hollywood Hill”
6 of 22
 Van Halen — “Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)” 
“Well, way down yonder in Louisville
Lived a cat named Big Bad Bill”

Van Halen — “Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)”


“Well, way down yonder in Louisville
Lived a cat named Big Bad Bill”
7 of 22
 Hank Snow — “I've Been Everywhere” 
“Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Ombabika, 
Schefferville, Jacksonville, Waterville, Costa Rica”

Hank Snow — “I've Been Everywhere”


“Louisville, Nashville, Knoxville, Ombabika,
Schefferville, Jacksonville, Waterville, Costa Rica”
8 of 22
 John Phillips/The Mamas & The Papas — “Mississippi” 
“Early in the mornin', she hitched a ride down to Louisville
Holdin' onto a hundred dollar bill”

John Phillips/The Mamas & The Papas — “Mississippi”


“Early in the mornin', she hitched a ride down to Louisville
Holdin' onto a hundred dollar bill”
9 of 22
 Black Stone Cherry — “When the Weight Comes Down” 
“Lights out on 42nd Street in New York City
The Ohio's runnin' backwards down in Louisville, Kentucky”

Black Stone Cherry — “When the Weight Comes Down”


“Lights out on 42nd Street in New York City
The Ohio's runnin' backwards down in Louisville, Kentucky”
10 of 22
 The Jayhawks — “Miss Williams’ Guitar” 
“One night in a bar in Louisville
We had some fun
Walked through a graveyard park
Left flowers alone
Miss Williams’ guitar”

The Jayhawks — “Miss Williams’ Guitar”


“One night in a bar in Louisville
We had some fun
Walked through a graveyard park
Left flowers alone
Miss Williams’ guitar”
11 of 22
 Gomez — “Charley Patton Songs” 
“I been lookin' in Detroit,
I been lookin' in Los Angeles,
I been lookin' in Louisville
I cannot find you”

Gomez — “Charley Patton Songs”


“I been lookin' in Detroit,
I been lookin' in Los Angeles,
I been lookin' in Louisville
I cannot find you”
12 of 22
 Pharrell Williams ft. Gwen Stefani — “Can I Have It Like That” 
“From Louisville to Jimmy Choos, he's real
She know the time, she sees the Richard Mille”

Pharrell Williams ft. Gwen Stefani — “Can I Have It Like That”


“From Louisville to Jimmy Choos, he's real
She know the time, she sees the Richard Mille”
13 of 22
 Missy Elliott — “Let Me Fix My Weave” 
“To the heavy weave cities
Miami, Jersey, D.C., the Carolinas, Detroit, Louisville, Ohio to all the projects”

Missy Elliott — “Let Me Fix My Weave”


“To the heavy weave cities
Miami, Jersey, D.C., the Carolinas, Detroit, Louisville, Ohio to all the projects”
14 of 22
 Guy Clark — “New Cut Road” 
“Now Coleman’s little sister said, ‘You better act right, Coleman
Daddy's gone to Louisville, he’ll be back tonight’”

Guy Clark — “New Cut Road”


“Now Coleman’s little sister said, ‘You better act right, Coleman
Daddy's gone to Louisville, he’ll be back tonight’”
15 of 22
 Don Williams — “Follow Me Back To Louisville” 
“Follow me back to Louisville
If you care, I think you will”

Don Williams — “Follow Me Back To Louisville”


“Follow me back to Louisville
If you care, I think you will”
16 of 22
 Dwight Yoakam — “Louisville” 
“I've been waiting here in Louisville
Lots of time to kill, waiting here for you
I've had to get a job in Louisville
Cause my hotel bill is six weeks overdue”

Dwight Yoakam — “Louisville”


“I've been waiting here in Louisville
Lots of time to kill, waiting here for you
I've had to get a job in Louisville
Cause my hotel bill is six weeks overdue”
17 of 22
 Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan — “The Cockroach Stomp” 
“Kill, kill, kill 
Everybody do the Cockroach Stomp. 
California, Tennessee, and Louisville,
Come on, do the Cockroach Stomp”

Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan — “The Cockroach Stomp”


“Kill, kill, kill
Everybody do the Cockroach Stomp.
California, Tennessee, and Louisville,
Come on, do the Cockroach Stomp”
18 of 22
 8Ball — “Slab Rider” 
”Louisville, Money Mike, what's the deal, baby”

8Ball — “Slab Rider”


”Louisville, Money Mike, what's the deal, baby”
19 of 22
 Trace Adkins — “Ride” 
“Back across the Appalachians
Blowin' into Louisville
Love to feel the big wheels turnin'
Always have and always will”

Trace Adkins — “Ride”


“Back across the Appalachians
Blowin' into Louisville
Love to feel the big wheels turnin'
Always have and always will”
20 of 22
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