I think that Asheville needs an anthem. A song that expresses what our town is all about. Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi” would fit just fine.
You know the song. The refrain goes like this: “Pave paradise and put up a parking lot.”
— David Smith
Marshall
We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.
We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.
It’s “Wagon Wheel”
Aaaaand now it’s in my head.
I find these to be much more representative of Asheville:
“When You Get to Asheville” — Steve Martin and Edie Brickell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RzhTN9zW3w
“Asheville” — Richard McGraw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55Pt29PHBa8
I love Martin’s banjo and Edie’s voice…but those lyrics suck! This song could have been written about anywhere.
That’s a complaint I’ve heard about that song, but knowing this city, I don’t think it’s really valid… People come here because they’ve been promised a dream. They leave family, places, and people they love behind because they were promised that dream. They come chasing after something they could just as easily have found at home, and if they’re lucky, they’ll still be able to find it when they leave and go back home after this city chews them up, spits them out, and sends them back with a bootprint on their ass. I think that second song really captures that notion very well, as does this song I found yesterday:
“Asheville Skies” — Milk Carton Kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em8SBRNixsU
“They come chasing after something they could just as easily have found at home, and if they’re lucky, they’ll still be able to find it when they leave and go back home after this city chews them up, spits them out, and sends them back with a bootprint on their ass.”
“I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard; because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.” — Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz”
Another thought… As much as much as people like to whine about the growth here, most of those people whining are people who moved here from somewhere else, which seems awfully hypocritical to me.
And in this case not even moving to Buncombe County.
But yeah, an awful lot of people who move here seem to think that Asheville became compete upon their arrival and that it was perfectly fine for them to move here but not for others. That’s getting really old.