This article explores the surprisingly limited number of songs explicitly about Anchorage, Alaska. It delves into some examples, including a song written about a baby born in Anchorage and its connection to musical heritage spanning generations.
on Alaska history by local historian David Reamer. Have a question about Anchorage or Alaska history or an idea for a future article? Go to the form at the bottom of this story.
As the song exclaims, “Send me a picture of our little girl, she’s the best girl we ever had. She’s the cutest youngster you ever did see, and she looks like her mom and dad.” It feels churlish to point out a tiny error but to thine own self be true. The song further declares, “It was in a naval hospital, and it was surely a good place to be, the doctors and nurses there they all loved her too.” However, Cheryl was born at Providence, a private hospital in an Army town.
Credited to Betty Jo Starr and the Alaskans, “Song of Anchorage” is heavy-handed to the point of cringe in its attempts to ingratiate itself with Anchorage residents. “There’s a town in Alaska, the greatest of all, filled with wonderful people, that answered her call. On the banks of Cook’s Inlet, was this city brought forth, called Anchorage, Alaska, the Queen of the North.
In 1968, Alaska Airlines produced a musical to promote travel to the 49th state, part of their Golden Nugget promotions. “It’s Alaska” featured songs composed by Elizabeth Firestone Willis and performed by the Harry Simeone Chorale. Willis was an established musician with a litany of professional credits, as well as the wife of Alaska Airlines president Charles Willis. The musical was a tour of the state featuring simulated airplane takeoffs and landings.
In 1978, Japanese singer Aki Hitomi released her debut single, “Anchorage Keiyu Paris Iki .” Beginning in 1960, Japan Airlines offered a route to Paris with a refueling stop in Anchorage. That journey was popular enough that the itinerary became entrenched in the Japanese cultural landscape. Perhaps the most serious example on this list is “Anchorage” by singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked. It was the first single from her 1988 major label debut album, “Short Sharp Shocked.” The song is in the form of a letter between two friends getting back in touch after a couple of years apart.
Anchorage Music History Alaska Songs
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