Does intimate geographical knowledge of a place make one more qualified to to appreciate a song about said place?
I say yes.
It may sound a bit pompous to brag about being able to enjoy Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" on a higher level than those born in the other 49 states. By doing so however, I'm admitting a fundamental inadequacy to appreciate other great country songs.
I'd bet someone born in Alabama has a leg up on me when turning up Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama."
Eric Church sings about Carolina "calling me home." I sing along, fully aware of the irony.
"Margaritaville" sounds like a fine place I'd like to visit, but I've never blown out a flip flop and stepped on a pop top. To be honest I don't much like daiquiris.
I have spent summers in Northern Michigan, and while my time on the beaches of the mitten state's inner lakes came years after Kid Rock stopped rocking a mullet, I know what he felt as he slipped away over the dunes with that girl.
The only thing he's missing is a Detroit Tigers game on the radio.
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