3 Major Hits That Need a Geography Lesson (But We’ll Still Sing Along Anyway)

Sometimes writing a good song is more about finding the right phrase that rolls off the tongue than being technical or accurate. When it comes to these tunes, that’s definitely the case. Here are three huge songs that reference certain places but definitely don’t know what they’re talking about.

Videos by American Songwriter

“Country Roads” by John Denver

In “Country Roads”, John Denver famously hails the roads of West Virginia. Ironically, though, his co-writers Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert weren’t really thinking about West Virginia when they came up with the idea for this tune. 

The song came about when the folk duo was traveling to a family gathering. It was actually Clopper Road in Montgomery County, Maryland, where they found inspiration. According to Danoff, the song that would eventually become a massive anthem for West Virginia wasn’t intended to be about any specific place at all. Nivert actually had to look up an encyclopedia to learn about the state, which she knew nothing about.

“I just started thinking, country roads, I started thinking of me growing up in western New England and going on all these small roads”, Danoff said in an interview. “It didn’t have anything to do with Maryland or anyplace.”

“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey

If you’re ever singing “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, you’re likely singing karaoke or driving in your car and probably not thinking about the lyrics at all. But if you take a look at the first verse, which mentions a boy who was “born and raised in South Detroit,” you might start asking questions, especially if you know your cities. 

That’s because South Detroit isn’t a real place at all. The truth is, if there were a district where “South Detroit” is, it would actually just be Canada. Former Journey band member Steve Perry spoke about this realization with Vulture. 

“I ran the phonetics of east, west, and north, but nothing sounded as good or emotionally true to me as South Detroit,” he said of writing the song. “The syntax just sounded right. I fell in love with the line. It’s only been in the last few years that I’ve learned that there is no South Detroit. But it doesn’t matter.”

“Africa” by Toto 

The geography mistake in this one is definitely one that you’d likely miss, unless you’re from Africa or just know a lot about mountains. In the second verse, Toto sings of Mount Kilimanjaro, which is the highest mountain in Africa. It also sings of the Serengeti, which is a large region of plains in Africa.

The wild dogs cry out in the night
As they grow restless longing for some solitary company
I know that I must do what’s right
Sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
I seek to cure what’s deep inside
Frightened of this thing that I’ve become.

According to data analyzed by Dr. Hercules, you actually cannot see Mount Kilimanjaro from the Serengeti at all. As fascinating as this study is, it’s hard not to be a little disappointed.

Photo by: © Roger Ressmeyer/CORBIS/VCG via Getty Images