After I finished “Portland: The Album” (just over a year ago, now), I was wondering if I should do any sort of musical follow-up to it.  (This blog wasn’t in the works at that time.)  One idea I had, since I had already recorded a children’s album once, was to do a Portland children’s album.  This would contain songs about the zoo, the children’s museum -- basically anything that would be fun for kids living in Portland.  Well, while that album never materialized, this week’s song, “Portland Streets, would have been a perfect addition to it.  Based on the familiar alphabet tune, this song is half ABCs and half tongue twister (*you* try singing “ Lovejoy, Marshall, Northrup, Overton, Pettygrove” at 104 beats per minute!).  I even threw in a small dig about Portland’s male-centered history (common to any city in the United States!).

Anyway, have fun with it, and then go take a walk in northwest Portland, where these streets can be seen right in a row.

Lyrics:

Ankeny, Burnside, Couch, Davis,

Everett, Flanders, Glisan,

Hoyt, Irving, Johnson, Kearney,

Lovejoy, Marshall, Northrup, Overton, Pettygrove,

Quimby, Raleigh, Savier,

Thurman, Upshur, Vaughn,

Wilson, no x, there’s a York, but no z.

Now I know the Portland streets:

Let me show you how it repeats.

Ankeny, Burnside, Couch, Davis,

Everett, Flanders, Glisan,

Hoyt, Irving, Johnson, Kearney,

Lovejoy, Marshall, Northrup, Overton, Pettygrove,

Quimby, Raleigh, Savier,

Thurman, Upshur, Vaughn,

Wilson, no x, there’s a York, but no z.

Why are there so many men in the Portland Streets?

Maybe we need some female elites!

Taking a walk on the Portland Streets,

Smile at everyone you meet!

Ankeny, Burnside, Couch, Davis,

Everett, Flanders, Glisan,

Hoyt, Irving, Johnson, Kearney,

Lovejoy, Marshall, Northrup, Overton, Pettygrove,

Quimby, Raleigh, Savier,

Thurman, Upshur, Vaughn,

Wilson, no x, there’s a York, but no z.

Now I know the Portland streets.

Next time, won’t you sing with me?