Songs About People Named Allison
In the elevator up from work, I butted into a conversation between two colleagues about songs about people named “Allison” (or, if you prefer, “Alison”). The works under consideration where Elvis Costello’s “Alison” and The Lemonheads’ “Alison’s Starting to Happen.” I chimed in to mention the Pixies’ “Allison” (I also like the Eve 6 cover). I think the Pixies tune is the best, but if you’re talking about “best video for a song about someone named ‘Allison’ that I was able to find on YouTube” then I think I’d have to go with “Aly, Walk With Me” by Danish duo The Raveonettes:
The above is also, of course, one of the top urbanism songs. The Raveonettes are from Denmark, a land of excellent urban planning and transportation policy and the song specifically references New York City and Portland, the United States’ two great hubs of forward-thinking urbanism.
33 Responses to “Songs About People Named Allison”
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June 11th, 2009 at 10:39 am
Don’t forget the Vulgar Boatmen’s “Allison Says”, my personal favorite “Allison” song…
June 11th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Oh, get medieval. (That link features a version by the late John Fleagle, whose album you really ought to buy from the not-evil Magnatune.)
June 11th, 2009 at 10:41 am
All-i-son’s in Gal-ve-ston, somehow lost her san-i-ty,
And Dimples (who now lives in Temple)’s got the law loo-kin’ for me…
June 11th, 2009 at 10:44 am
Going back to the discussion about the Gin Blossoms from a while ago, another very good song of theirs is Allison Road.
June 11th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Mark me down for “Allison Road” by the Gin Blossoms
June 11th, 2009 at 10:54 am
James Gary: George Strait? Well played.
June 11th, 2009 at 10:56 am
I once dated a girl named Allison, and I was never sure if I was doing so only because of the Pixies song.
She worked a reliable 8 minute drive away from where I lived, so when I’d go pick her up, if I started the Bossanova album when I left home, the song Allison would begin right when I’d arrive. It was just too perfect.
June 11th, 2009 at 11:00 am
And then there’s Charlie Sizemore’s “I wanna play in Alison’s band,” about Alison Krauss. I know–a different sonic planet than y’all reside on.
June 11th, 2009 at 11:00 am
I should bloody hope so given their tax burden.
June 11th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Costello’s Allison is smarter, wittier, more vicious and has a better melody and lyric.
June 11th, 2009 at 11:07 am
This is entirely off-topic except that you mentioned Elvis Costello, but a couple years ago you mentioned “Holland 1945″ as an upbeat, poppy sounding song that’s actually unbelievably sad. At the time I struggled a bit to come up with another that’s comparable, but Costello’s “Veronica” is nearly as sad and WAY more upbeat & poppy sounding.
June 11th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I prefer smokin’ songs by people named Allison. I talked with a bass player who did pick up rhythm section work with him from time to time, he said it was among his toughest gigs — you never knew where the guy was going.
June 11th, 2009 at 11:12 am
I prefer smokin’ songs by people named Allison. I talked with a bass player who did pick up rhythm section work with him from time to time, he said it was among his toughest gigs — you never knew where the guy was going.
FYI: The Pixies’ “Allison” is about Mose Allison, and not about a girl with that name.
June 11th, 2009 at 11:17 am
As far as Costello is concerned, I vastly prefer Veronica – but then that was co-written by McCartney, so feel free to accuse me of having cheap taste in music
.
June 11th, 2009 at 11:20 am
I think the most underrated “Alison” is the shoegazing classic by Slowdive.
June 11th, 2009 at 11:23 am
“I think the Pixies tune is the best … The Raveonettes are from Denmark, a land of excellent urban planning and transportation policy”
So, I’d say this calls for a video of Black Francis busking in Copenhagen…
June 11th, 2009 at 11:26 am
In the elevator up from work,
What, is TP located in some Dick-Cheney-esque undisclosed subterranean bunker?
My god, the freepers are right: You guys are a dangerous shadow-government socialist-fascist conspiracy!
June 11th, 2009 at 11:38 am
My mother had a Linda Ronstadt album with Elvis’s Alison I think. I remember hating it when I was young. I thought the Pixies suited me more! People ALWAYS sing the Elvis song to me…
June 11th, 2009 at 11:41 am
“Alison Gross”, by Steeleye Span
Here’s an incandescently terrible video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sw7cVK8Ve9k
June 11th, 2009 at 11:45 am
I second Slowdive’s “Alison.”
June 11th, 2009 at 11:50 am
A bit off topic, but I have been enjoying Tokyo Police Club’s “Citizens of Tomorrow” lately (among many of their other great offerings) and thought it was a perfect song for Matthew, given his proclivity for the “robots taking over the world” genre.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOi3F00oJtI
June 11th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Allison by permanent me.
June 11th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Scapegoat Wax – Aisle 10 (Hello Allison)
June 11th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
a contender from France
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mak-aWAcXYM
June 11th, 2009 at 12:47 pm
Voting for Slowdive’s Alison here, classic shoegaze.
Here’s the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2NB41QUIdU&feature=related
June 11th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Many great Alison songs, but Slowdive’s is the most excellent.
June 11th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Game Theory, “We Love You Carol and Allison”
June 11th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Luna’s “The Owl and the Pussycat” has the opening line “Alison Andrews came up to see me / In a beautiful pea green coat.”
Best Alison song.
June 11th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
@Alison at #18
1. My mom also had the Linda Ronstadt version, and I used to hate it. Although Ronstadt was wearing roller skates on the cover of the album and that was kind of silly.
2. People ALWAYS sing the Costello song to me too. I do like the song… but really, how many times can you tell a girl that you know the world is killing her?
My personal favorite is the soul song “Alison Please” by Geno Washington
June 11th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
I think that the top urbanism songs deserves a post of its own.
Starting with:
“The Big Country” – Talking Heads
and
“City Was Gone” – the Pretenders
June 11th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Speaking of Allison’s, here’s the currently most famous Allison – Allison Young:
The Story of Allison Young
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReA5ABjzU5c
June 11th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Yes Yes Yes!, Slowdive’s “Alison” is by far the best, such a wonderful song…
June 12th, 2009 at 9:57 am
29- Yes- the roller skates almost made up for the song! And I totally agree about people singing the song. Gets a little old! I will have to find the Slowdive one…