Leftovers (City Songs): Minneapolis

That Dog: Minneapolis

[Purchase]

I missed the awesome City Songs week, but I am glad I now get the chance to share what I consider my favorite of city songs, That Dog's "Minneapolis". I consider it one of the best, not because it paints a picture of a city, but because it captures two of my favorite aspects in music: telling a great story, and being catchy as hell. So catchy, in fact, that I cannot have someone mention Minneapolis without wanting to sing the infectious chorus of "Minneapolis" back at them. Any song that can forever implant itself in my head like that deserves some credit. Not only that, but it makes me think "if a city can inspire such a catchy song, it must be pretty great", but I've never been there so I couldn't tell you.

That Dog made three albums together, all in the late 1990s. They're a band with a number of musical pedigrees, including the Haden sisters, Rachel and Petra (who I now consider the modern queen of the cover song), the daughters of the legendary jazz bassist Charlie Haden, and are led by Anna Waronker, sister to indie drummer Joey Waronker, and who are both the children of industry bigwig Lenny Waronker. Their last album together, Retreat From The Sun, was less punk than their first two, and probably one of the catchiest albums I've ever heard. "Minneapolis" is a one of my favorites from that album, and in general. It tells the (perhaps true) tale of a girl who meets a boy at a concert in a darling and romantic way, but alas, they cannot be together because he lives in far away Minneapolis.