It was the third of September.

May 6, 2011 10:08 AM

What songs, from any genre, mention a specific calendar date. For example, Papa Was a Rollin Stone (the 3rd of September), September by EWF, (21st night, September. Pride in the Name of Love "early morning, April 4) etc?
posted by timsteil to media & arts (61 answers total)

Desiree by Neil Diamond mentions the third of June.
posted by Oriole Adams at 10:12 AM on May 6, 2011

Fifth of July by Eddie From Ohio mentions, well, the fifth of July.
posted by bondcliff at 10:13 AM on May 6, 2011

Convoy - CW McCall

"It was the dark of the moon, on the sixth of June, and a Kenworth pulling logs"
posted by illenion at 10:13 AM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Friday Night, August 14th by Funkadelic.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 10:13 AM on May 6, 2011

sublime - april 29, 1992
Nirvana - lake of fire
better than ezra - good [mentions 4th of july]
posted by fizzix at 10:15 AM on May 6, 2011

Saturday in the Park - Chicago

"I think it was the 4th of July"
posted by illenion at 10:15 AM on May 6, 2011

Born on the Bayou by CCR mentions the 4th of July. (Which I just found out via Google, which brought up This AskMe thread that has July 4th-related songs in it. I love when Google brings up AskMe)
posted by bondcliff at 10:17 AM on May 6, 2011

July 12, 1939, by Charlie Rich
posted by newmoistness at 10:19 AM on May 6, 2011

The song "Eyeball Kid" by Tom Waits mentions the birthday of the titular character as the "7th of December, 1949", which also happens to be Tom Waits' birthday.
posted by dephlogisticated at 10:20 AM on May 6, 2011

I assume U2's New Year's Day counts.
posted by troywestfield at 10:22 AM on May 6, 2011

"35th of November" by The Bughouse Five. :)
posted by BitterOldPunk at 10:23 AM on May 6, 2011

The Trucks - March 1st
Gimmik - 7th Of May (okay, only the title mentions the date, I think it's an instrumental piece)
Sporto Kantes - 12 of July
The Mountain Goats - Sept 15 1983
Jay-Z - December 4th (there's also a track by the same name on Danger Mouse's Grey Album which samples Jay-Z's song)
posted by bjrn at 10:23 AM on May 6, 2011

The Killers, "Sam's Town" ("My brother, he was born on the 4th of July")
Liz Phair, "Cinco de Mayo" ("Cinco de mayo, blowout, denial")
posted by 2or3things at 10:24 AM on May 6, 2011

Buenos Tardes Amigo by Ween mentions that "Cinco de mayo's on Tuesday".
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 10:26 AM on May 6, 2011

Dave Alvin - 4th of July
Destroy all Monsters - November 22nd, 1963
posted by zombiedance at 10:28 AM on May 6, 2011

John Lennon - "Remember" ("the 5th of November")
posted by John Cohen at 10:28 AM on May 6, 2011

'Breathe' by U2 mentions the 16th of June twice (and also mentions specific times - 9:05 and 9:09)
posted by Rewind at 10:29 AM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Blues Brothers - Riot in Cell Block #9 - September 5th, 1983
(I haven't looked for the original version, I am sure the date is different there)
posted by Lokheed at 10:34 AM on May 6, 2011

The opening song of Little Shop of Horrors begins: "On the 23rd day in the month of September, in an early year of a decade not too long before our own..."
posted by Flannery Culp at 10:40 AM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

"Ode to Billiy Joe" "It was the 3rd of June..."
posted by Dolley at 10:43 AM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Drive-By Truckers- Feb 14
posted by kimdog at 10:44 AM on May 6, 2011

14th of April, Gillian Welch "Ruination Day".
posted by zoinks at 10:46 AM on May 6, 2011

Morphine - Radar

"If I am guilty so are you - It was March 4, 1982"
posted by Kafkaesque at 10:46 AM on May 6, 2011

Haul Away - Split Enz: "I was born in Te Awamutu, 25th of June, 1952..."
posted by methroach at 10:48 AM on May 6, 2011

Bob Dylan - Isis: "I married Isis on the fifth day of May"
posted by Perplexity at 10:52 AM on May 6, 2011

David Bowie: Leon takes us outside
posted by prenominal at 10:58 AM on May 6, 2011

If you don't mind doing some trawling, plugging in day numbers into a lyrics search engine will yield up a lot more material here as well, e.g. 17th.
posted by cortex at 11:03 AM on May 6, 2011

"Bye Bye Pride" by the Go-Betweens

lyric snippet:
"When a woman learns to walk
She’s not dependent anymore
A line from her letter May 24"
posted by perhapses at 11:05 AM on May 6, 2011

Prettiest Eyes by The Beautiful South -- "60 25th of Decembers, 59 4th of Julys."
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 11:06 AM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

Jimmy Eat World has a song called "12.23.95".
posted by lilac girl at 11:14 AM on May 6, 2011

Sweet Baby James - James Taylor
posted by Kirth Gerson at 11:22 AM on May 6, 2011

Fiddler's Green by The Tragically Hip - First line: September 17, for a girl I know, It's mother's day.
posted by Brodiggitty at 11:27 AM on May 6, 2011

Also - Please tell me you're asking because you want to create a page/app that allows you to hear songs that mention that specific day on the calendar. Because that would be cool. Just sayin...
posted by Brodiggitty at 11:29 AM on May 6, 2011 [1 favorite]

"I Live with it Every Day" by Barenaked Ladies on their album Born On a Pirate Ship opens with the line "On August 1st, 1981, I cycled to Scott's house with a b.b. gun".
posted by TinWhistle at 11:34 AM on May 6, 2011

Stagger Lee by The Grateful Dead:

"1940, Xmas Eve, with a full moon over town..."
posted by mosk at 11:41 AM on May 6, 2011

Beastie Boys - The New Style - October 31st
Aimee Mann - Fourth of July - July 4th
posted by backwards guitar at 11:41 AM on May 6, 2011

Robert Earl Keen has "Fourth of July".

But more interestingly, he wrote a song called "Shades of Gray" about three juvenile delinquents who get arrested for petty theft on the same day that a major national incident happens nearby—and you don't really understand what's going on in the story until you snap to what happened on "that mornin' in late April, Oklahoma '95."
posted by pineapple at 12:03 PM on May 6, 2011

"April 27, 1865" Sultana by Son Volt
posted by leapfrog at 12:05 PM on May 6, 2011

I just came in here to link Shades of Gray but since pineapple beat me to it, I'll just post the link I found since it has tabs.

The Sinking Of The Reuben James by Woody Guthrie mentions "the last day of October"
posted by mikepop at 12:09 PM on May 6, 2011

Adding, you can listen to Shades of Gray right here.
posted by mikepop at 12:11 PM on May 6, 2011

Eighth of January
posted by cccorlew at 12:13 PM on May 6, 2011

Nick Lowe -- "Marie Provost" (July 29)
posted by kimota at 12:14 PM on May 6, 2011

Adding again (sorry) for another take on the same date try Dan Bern's Oklahoma - lyrics, listen here.
posted by mikepop at 12:14 PM on May 6, 2011

Just You Wait (from the My Fair Lady soundtrack):

"Next week on the twentieth of May
I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day!"
posted by SomePerlGeek at 12:37 PM on May 6, 2011

4th of July - Galaxie 500
How to Make Gravy - (Australian singer-songwriter) Paul Kelly ("it's the 23rd of December")
posted by Infinite Jest at 1:08 PM on May 6, 2011

"Tear Me Down," from Hedwig and the Angry Inch:

"On August 13, 1961, a wall was erected down the middle of the city of Berlin..."
posted by thadman at 1:09 PM on May 6, 2011

Ice Cube - Wicked - April 29th
Katy Perry - Firework - 4th of July
posted by Busmick at 2:08 PM on May 6, 2011

Sublime - April 29th, 1992 - April 29th
posted by Busmick at 2:09 PM on May 6, 2011

Late December, back in '63 Oh What a Night

And Christmas Eve and Day are pretty popular
Elton John – “Levon”
Old man gloom – “Christmas Eve”
Fairytale of New York, The Pogues

And more 4th of July
Darlington County - Bruce Springsteen
Justice & Independence 1985 - John Cougar Mellancamp
4th of July-Soundgarden

And comments to a similar request in the Guardian, back in 2006.
posted by Ideefixe at 2:54 PM on May 6, 2011

Sublime - April 29th, 1992 - April 29th

Came in to mention that. Just a note though: in the song, Bradley Nowell sings it as April 26th, 1992, even though the correct date is April 29th (and the song is correctly titled April 29, 1992).
posted by asciident at 3:27 PM on May 6, 2011

U2 - Pride (In The Name of Love) names April 4
posted by MShades at 4:35 PM on May 6, 2011

"It's April 21st and everybody knows today is Earth Day."
What are we gonna do - Dramarama
posted by spiny at 8:07 PM on May 6, 2011

September '77, Port Elizabeth weather fine
It was business as usual in police room 619
Biko, Peter Gabriel.
posted by scalefree at 11:00 PM on May 6, 2011

Remember, remember the fifth of November
The gunpowder treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
posted by scalefree at 11:12 PM on May 6, 2011

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down - The Band - "By May 10th, Richmond had fell..."
posted by amyms at 3:07 AM on May 7, 2011

The Bee Gees - Odessa (14 February 1899)
Joan Baez - The 33rd of August
Barenaked Ladies - I Live With it Every Day (1 August 1981)
posted by Paris Elk at 3:20 AM on May 7, 2011

The Grateful Dead's Jack Straw

"Leavin' Texas, fourth day of July...sun so hot, the clouds so low, the eagles filled the sky."
posted by Elly Vortex at 8:14 AM on May 7, 2011

Kate & Anna McGarrigle , "St. Valentine's Day 1978"
Billy Bragg, "Valentine's Day Is Over"
Del Amitri, "April the First"
Talk Talk, "April 5th"
Oysterband, "20th of April"
Al Stewart, "Night of the 4th of May"
Al Stewart, "The Last Day of June 1934"
People Under the Stairs, "July 3rd"
Billy Bragg, "St. Swithin's Day"
Scritti Politti, "28/8/78"
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, "09-15-00"
The Cure, "So What" (December 31, 1979)
Elvis Costello, "TKO (Boxing Day)"
CSS, "This Month, Day 10"

Also, Folk Songs With a Date in the Lyrics
posted by kirkaracha at 6:04 PM on May 7, 2011

NOFX - August 8th
posted by JV at 9:58 PM on May 7, 2011

"Run, Baby, Run" by Sheryl Crow (she was born in November 1963, the day Aldous Huxley died)
posted by spinto at 9:17 AM on May 9, 2011

"Rally" by Phoenix mentions April 22.
posted by holterbarbour at 4:32 PM on June 1, 2011