H-Town Top 10: A playlist of the best songs about Houston

Before finding success in Nashville, country rock singer and songwriter Steve Earle lived briefly in Houston as a runaway teenager. His song “Telephone Road” tells the story of oil workers who moved to Houston and spent all their money in the honky-tonks of Telephone Road, which he describes as being “10 miles long” and home to 50 parking lots and 100 honky-tonks. .

This hit single from Houston rapper Lil’ Keke’s debut album, Do not mess With Texas, was so successful that it inspired its own dance. If you’re not familiar, just follow these lyrics and try to do it yourself: “Raise your hands, so high, rub your head and do the Southside.”

Is this one of Houston’s saddest songs? For Dean Martin, Houston is a lonely old town where everyone puts him down. “I’m just a face with no name, just walking in the rain / I’m going back to Houston, Houston, Houston,” the lyrics go before talking about having a hole in both of his shoes and seeing a ticket. a dollar fly away. in the wind. Although it’s a bit melodramatic, it’s one of our favorites.

Is there a Houston track with a better lineup? We do not think so. Slim Thug brought together all the greats for this one, which includes some of our favorite verses about Houston and Houston culture. So many neighborhoods are mentioned – from Third Ward and Sunnyside to Sharpstown and Alief – that you should use this trail as your official Houston neighborhood guide.

This song by Houston’s Archie Bell & the Drells, released in 1968, is quite the vibe. Besides being light and easy to listen to, we love it for its perhaps not so relatable description of where Houston is. “In Houston, Texas, near the Mexican border,” the song repeats over and over. (If you’re new here, Mexico is about a five-hour drive away.) Although it’s not as famous as “Tighten Up,” a track from the same album that reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts in 1968 , “Houston Texas” is still one of our favorites.

This song by Grupo and Cornejo is one of our absolute favorites. The upbeat track explains how singer Cornejo appreciates his time spent in Houston and contrasts the city with his humble past. It’s a fun song that you’ll want to repeat.

If Houston had a queen, it would obviously be Beyoncé. And while she’s made many songs over the years that give Houston love, our favorite is “***Flawless.” Perhaps this is due to the “bow down bitches” line, a line we like to imagine is her telling people to bow down to H-Town and not just herself.

We love a good Khruangbin song, especially since we love listening to music without lyrics while writing and editing. Khruangbin, whose members are all from Houston, is quite famous for its songs with minimalist vocal tracks. Our favorite is “First Class,” in which “H-Town” is whispered softly several times. Think of it as Houston-focused ASMR.

We love a good freestyle. It’s even better when they mention local spots like Pappadeaux and the Galleria. While we wouldn’t be caught off guard (unless someone wanted to give us a gift card to Musaafer), it’s always nice to see some Houston businesses getting some star-level love.

What we love about country music is how literal most singers in the genre are when it comes to their lyrics. This means that many country songs are simple and easy to understand, making them perfect songs to listen to after a hard day of thinking. One of our favorites is Luke Combs’ “Houston, We Got a Problem,” in which the singer calls Houston his “kind of city” and his “kind of place,” before discussing very Houston things like Astrodome, 19th Street and NASA. speaking of the moon landing. Oh, and we’re also apparently home to “the coldest beer you’ve ever had.” This one sucks, Dallas.