Today is 4/14 - also known as "Milwaukee Day." Why? The 4-1-4 area code, of course (and since there is no February 62nd, the suburbs don't get their own day, but I think they'll get over it.)
On this day, in normal times, bars and restaurants have specials and we get out and celebrate the city. But with two things going against that, 1) a "safer-at-home" order from the governor and 2) temperatures in the 30s with wind chills and even the occasional snow shower), we'll celebrate inside. And I'll salute my city of birth and current residence (we'll see for how long based on how much my property tax bill goes up...), let's salute Milwaukee with music - our specialty here at 95.7 BIG FM.
First, the legendary Al Jarreau. He was born in Milwaukee in 1940 and always had an affinity for his hometown. His 1976 album Glow had a glowing song about the Cream City, simply titled "Milwaukee." Listen to it here!
Of course, Milwaukee gets mentions in many other songs, including the song 2014 song "Milwaukee" by Aimee Mann (who you probably first heard back in 1985 as 'Til Tuesday's lead singer on "Voices Carry" before her extensive solo career) and Ted Leo when they teamed up as "The Both" after a Milwaukee concert on November 11, 2012.
As Leo told Rolling Stone: “Walking along Milwaukee’s riverfront between sound check and show time last year [2012 at the time], Aimee and I were startled by a very disconcerting bronze statue of Arthur Fonzerelli, a.k.a. ‘The Fonz,’ a.k.a. ‘The Bronze Fonz. In that very moment, we knew we had to start a band to immortalize it (more than a bronze statue already immortalizes something), and the Both was born."
You can tell, too, since the lyrics begin:
We walked over the bridge in Milwaukee
Past the statues of Fonz and the duck
With the wind kicking in and the sparrows all running amok
They were obviously on the Riverwalk by Wells Street. Check out the whole song here:
Milwaukee's been in country songs - and country-esque songs - through it's history, too. Our city gets a prominent mention in Brad Paisley's classic sing-along "Alcohol", even though Milwaukee isn't in the title. But have you ever heard "Milwaukee, Here I Come" by George Jones and Brenda Carter? Well, if you haven't, now you can see it, where Jones performs with Tammy Wynette on TV in 1969:
Dolly Parton also covered "Milwaukee, Here I Come" back in 1969, along with Porter Wagner on their album Always, Always.
And of course, a play on Schlitz's classic "The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous," the song "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me)" was written by Glenn Sutton and was released as a hit single by Jerry Lee Lewis back in 1968. Covers by Rod Stewart in 1976, Flogging Molly in 1997, which you can enjoy below:
Happy Milwaukee Day!