By guest author Samantha Black:
The best songs about Las Vegas
Because Las Vegas is such an iconic city, it makes sense that there would be a large number of songs written about it. The bright lights, 24/7 party atmosphere, luxurious hotels, and world-class gaming available in Vegas makes it a city unlike any other in the world. Whether you are packing for a trip to the city, or even just planning on improving your poker playing skills at playpokerfree.com prior to trying your luck at the Vegas tables sometime in the future, have a listen to a few of the best songs about Las Vegas – they will certainly help to get you in the mood.
Viva Las Vegas
Written in 1964 by Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus, “Viva Las Vegas” might very well be the most famous song with Las Vegas at its heart. Elvis Presley recorded it for his film of the same name, which was one of the most popular films he ever made. The song has been covered by a wide variety of artists over the years.
Don’t Make Me Come to Vegas
“Don’t Make Me Come to Vegas” is a song off Tori Amos’ 2002 concept album, Scarlet’s Walk. The song is written from the point of view of Amos’ Scarlet character, and involves her getting a phone call from her beloved niece, who is having trouble with her man; Scarlet threatens to come to Vegas and yank her right from his bed.
Luck Be a Lady
We’ve all heard of Lady Luck and nowhere is she better personified than in Frank Sinatra’s “Luck Be a Lady.” Interestingly, though he made it famous, Sinatra didn’t originally perform the song, which was written in 1950 by Frank Loesser. It was originally performed by Robert Alda, and was featured in the musical Guys and Dolls. The song reminds us that in Las Vegas, anything can happen and that luck really needs to be a lady!
Leaving Las Vegas
“Leaving Las Vegas” is the song that made Sheryl Crow famous, and was Crow’s first hit single in the United States. Crow wrote the song along with David Baerwald, Bill Bottrell, David Ricketts, Kevin Gilbert, and Brian McLeod and it appeared on her debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club back in 1994. The video features Elvis impersonators and plenty of showgirls, and reminds us that while glamorous, there is a rough side to Sin City as well.
Vegas
There are two groups of people in this world: those that love the sound of Nico’s voice and those that hate it. Although there are a lot of people that probably haven’t heard the late singer’s “Vegas” (released in 1981), it is an essential Las Vegas song. A little dark and a little sad, Nico gives herself over to this song completely as only she could, and reminds us all that life is just one big gamble.
While the five songs listed above are essential Las Vegas songs, it must be stated that there are actually hundreds of songs out there that mention the city. Artists including Tom Waits, The B-52s, Robbie Williams, the Cocteau Twins, Dean Martin, and many others have written or performed songs about Las Vegas. In the end, it is really a matter of personal taste when it comes to deciding what the best songs about Las Vegas actually are.
