List of songs about Detroit explained

This list of songs about Detroit contains any songs about or involving the U.S. city of Detroit.

0-9

• "40 Hour Week" - Alabama^[1]
• "8 Mile" - Eminem^[2]
• "8 Mile Boogie" - Pat Flowers^[3]
• "8 Miles" - Obie Trice
• "8 Miles And Runnin'" – Jay-Z and Freeway
• "25th Floor" - Patti Smith
• "313" - Alley Life

A

• "A Long Time" - Mayer Hawthorne
• "Alive in 5D" - Gardens
• "All American Man" - KISS
• "All My Life" - Blade Icewood
• "All Over the World" - ELO
• "American Bad Ass" - Kid Rock
• "Amityville" - Eminem, from The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
• "Anaconda" - Nicki Minaj
• "Ancestors" - Oblisk
• "April in the D" - The Victorious Secrets
• "RGF Island" - Fetty Wap

B

• "Baby Come Home" - Kid Rock
• "Back to Detroit" - Nikki Corvette & the Stingrays
• "Back to Detroit" - Wayne Kramer
• "Back to Detroit (Motor City Remix)" - Beatdrum^[4]
• "Backyard War" - Achromatik
• "Beautiful" - Eminem 2009 rap rock
• "Belle Isle Players" - Starski & Clutch
• "Be My Lover" - Alice Cooper (often mistaken as "Detroit City")
• "The Big Three Killed My Baby" - The White Stripes from The White Stripes (album) 1999
• "Bitch Please II" - Eminem
• "Black Day in July" - Gordon Lightfoot (from Canada)
• "Bless You Boys" - Curtis Gladson and Loren Woods
• "Blessed St. Anthony" - Ty Stone
• "Blowing Up Detroit" - John Palumbo
• "Born in Detroit," The Rockets
• "Broke in Detroit (Again)" - The Dirtbombs
• "Broken Man" - The Von Bondies
• "Buried in Detroit" - Mike Posner

C

• "Cadillac Assembly Line" - Albert King
• "Can't Tame The Lion" - Journey
• "Christmas Eve on Woodward Avenue" - Karen Newman
• "C-I-T-Y" - John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band
• "City of Boom" - Detroit Most Wanted
• "Country Grammar" – Nelly
• "Crank Dat Icewood" - Johnny King

D

• "Da East" - Niko
• "The D in Detroit" - The Anniversary
• "Dancing in the Street" - Martha and the Vandellas (1964) (#2 Billboard Hot 100)
• "Detroit (Born + Raised)" - André DeJuan, from his upcoming third studio album, I'm Not Me
• "Detroit" - (from the Disney film, The Happiest Millionaire, introduced by John Davidson)
• "Detroit" - David Reo
• "Detroit" - Eddie "Guitar" Burns
• "Detroit" - Esham (featuring TNT)
• "Detroit" - Fireworks
• "Detroit" - Laurent Garnier
• "Detroit" - Green Concorde
• "Detroit" - Ian Hunter
• "Detroit"- Injecting Strangers
• "Detroit (That's My Home Town)" - Kim Weston
• "Detroit" - Mogue Doyle
• "Detroit" - Morgan Geist
• "Detroit" - Pato Margetic
• "Detroit" - Primal Scream
• "Detroit" - Rancid
• "Detroit" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
• "Detroit" - Royce Da 5'9"(featuring Travis Barker)
• "Detroit" - Tyler Childers
• "Detroit" - Va-Voom
• "Detroit" - Spring King
• "Detroit 4 Life" - A.W.O.L.
• "Detroit 101" - City Squad
• "Detroit 101" - Esham
• "Detroit 442" - Blondie
• "Detroit '67" - Sam Roberts Band
• "Detroit Blues" - Diana Krall; Vince Benedetti
• "Detroit Blues" - Tampa Red
• "Detroit Breakdown" - The Bellrays
• "Detroit Breakdown" - The J. Geils Band
• "Detroit Breakdown" - The Gories
• "Detroit City" - Alice Cooper
• "Detroit City" - LetricKramer
• "Detroit City (I Wanna Go Home)" - Bobby Bare (composed by Danny Dill)
• "Detroit City" - Sonny B
• "Detroit City" - Texas
• "Detroit City Blues" - Fats Domino
• "Detroit, Detroit" - Bugz
• "Detroit, Detroit" - Erik Koskinen
• "Detroit Diesel" - Alvin Lee
• "Detroit Drive" - Eliza Neals
• "Detroit Girl" - Raphael Saadiq
• "Detroit Girls" - Starz
• "Detroit Has a Skyline" - HiFi Handgrenades
• "Detroit Has a Skyline" - Superchunk
• "Detroit Iron" - The Darts
• "Detroit Jump" - Big Maceo Merriweather
• "Detroit Lady" - Motor City Josh
• "Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)" - Sufjan Stevens from Michigan (album) 2003
• "Detroit Michigan" - Ronnie Love
• "Detroit, Michigan"- Kid Rock from Rebel Soul 2012
• "Detroit, Michigan" - The Peps
• "Detroit Moan"- Victoria Spivey
• "Detroit Murderous" - Big Hoodoo (from the album 'Crystal Skull')
• "Detroit Niggaz" - Street Lord'z
• "The Detroit River Dirty Blues" - Michael Katon
• "Detroit Rock City" - KISS 1976
• "Detroit Rock City Homage" - Forced Anger
• "Detroit Special" - Big Bill Broonzy
• "Detroit Sound" - Soul Designer
• "Detroit Stand Up" - Ray O'Shea (featuring Big Herk, BO$$, Phohessuain, Esham, Malik (Eddie Kain), Al Nuke & Proof)
• "Detroit State of Mind - Elzhi
• "Detroit Style" - A1 People
• "Detroit Summer" - Obie Trice
• "Detroit Sunrise"- Dwele neo-soul, 2010
• "Detroit Swing 66" - Gomez
• "Detroit Swing City" - Alien Fashion Show
• "Detroit Thang" - Kid Rock
• "Detroit Tickets" - Apoptygma Berzerk
• "Detroit Tin" - The Kursaal Flyers
• "Detroit Vs. Everybody" - Eminem and others from Shady XV 2014
• "Detroit was Built on Secrets"- Search the City
• "Detroit Waves" - Matt Nathanson
• "Detroit Women" - Stacia Petrie
• "Detroit Winter - Platinum Pied Pipers (featuring MC Invincible)
• "Detroit Zoo" - Disco D
• "Detroiter, Part 2" - Bantam Rooster
• "Devil's Night" - D12 2001, horrorcore
• "Devil's Night" - Sonny B
• "Devil Without A Cause" - Kid Rock
• "Diet Coke" - Pusha T
• "Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey ("born and raised in south Detroit")
• "Don't Shut Em Down" - Flogging Molly
• "Dog Eat Dog" - Ted Nugent
• "Dope Job Homeless" - Obie Trice
• "Detroit Slums" -Back In Spades
• "Detroit Rock & Roll" - Frijid Pink
• "Doctor Detroit" - Devo

E

• "Eastern Market" - Yusef Lateef
• "Elizabeth Parker" - Dave Caruso

F

• "forty hour week" - Alabama
• "Fire Editorial" - The Mountain Goats
• "For The D" - Guilty Simpson
• "Foul Mouff" - Paradime (featuring Kid Rock)
• "Fuck Off" -Kid Rock (featuring Eminem)
• "From The D" -Eminem, Trick Trick, and Kid Rock
• "Feel Older Now" - Flo & Eddie

G

• "Geography" - Lali Puna
• "Ghetto Zone" - Inner City Posse
• "Gangster Funk" Prince Vince and the Hip Hop Force
• "God Bless the USA" – Lee Greenwood
• "Going Back to Motown" - John Palumbo
• "Got No Place to Go" - Migrant Kids
• "Guap" - Big Sean From Hall of Fame 2012
• "Gone Long Gone" - Frijid Pink
• "Great Time in Detroit" - Harmonie Park
• "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin" - Adrenalin

H

• "Halloween On Military Street" - Insane Clown Posse
• "Hand Springs" - The White Stripes
• "Hands Up For Detroit" - Matthew Dear (co-produced by Ghettotech pioneer Disco D)
• "Happy Dagger - Millions Of Brazilians
• "Hard Scratch Pride" - Whitey Morgan and the 78's
• "Heaven" - Uncle Kracker (featuring Kid Rock and Paradime)
• "Hello, Detroit" - Daniel Boaventura
• "Hello, Detroit" - Sammy Davis Jr.
• "Hello, Detroit" - Sonny Turner
• "Here At Home (In Detroit City)" - Stony Creek
• "Hillbilly Highway" - Steve Earle
• "Hockeytown" - Joe Lynn Turner
• "Hokus Pocus"- Insane Clown Posse
• "Horkenbach Blues (Why is Everyone Discriminatin' 'gainst Me?)" - The Dennis Horkenbach Trio
• "Horribly Horrifying" -Violent J
• "Hey Now (Motor City) - The Vandalias
• "Horizontal Bop" - Bob Seger from Against the Wind 1980
• "Hotel Yorba" - The White Stripes 2001
• "Home Town" - Big Sean
• "Hometown" - Mitch Ryder from Naked But Not Dead
• "Hypnotize (The Notorious B.I.G. song)" - Notorious B.I.G

I

• "I Am" - Kid Rock
• "I Am Detroit" - Electric Six
• "I Care About Detroit" - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
• "I Love Detroit" - Amboy Rambler^[5]
• "I Wanna Go Back" - Kid Rock
• "In Detroit" - Delta Twins (https://deltatwins.bandcamp.com/track/in-detroit-2)
• "In Detroit" (Featuring TNT) - Esham
• "In The City" - Marquise Porter
• "In Thee" - Blue Öyster Cult
• "Inmates" - The Good Life
• "Inner City Blues" - Rodriquez, aka Sixto Diaz Rodriguez
• "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" - Marvin Gaye from What's Going On 1971
• "Intro" - Kid Rock
• "It's Been A Long Time" - Mayer Hawthorne
• "It's Still East Detroit to Me" - Kid Rock
• "It's So Cold in the D" - T-Baby

K

• "Kill Ya Self" - Trick Trick (DJ Drama: Welcome To Detroit Gangsta Grillz Edition)
• "Krack Rocks" (Featuring Uncle Kracker) - Kid Rock 1996

L

• "LafaLetItRock. Bob Segerette Blues" - The White Stripes (Features names of Detroit streets)
• "Landing In Detroit" - The Detroit Grand Pubahs
• "Last Time I Saw Richard, The" - Joni Mitchell
• "Leaving Detroit" - Roses Are Red
• "Leaving Detroit" - Eliza Neals
• "Let It Fly" - Trick Trick ft.Ice Cube
• "Lighters Up" - Lil' Kim
• "Lightning Over Detroit" - Richard Madow
• "Life In The D" - Brendan Benson
• "Lipstick" - Kip Moore
• "Live" (Featuring Esham) - Kid Rock
• "The Load-Out" - Jackson Browne
• "Lose Yourself" - Eminem from 8 Mile, 2002, video shows the Ambassador Bridge
• "Love For My City" - Blade Icewood ft. Juan & Jesse James
• "Line #7" - Dierks Bentley

M

• "Made in Hockeytown" - Red Wings - Paul Shonk http://www.paulshonk.com/
• "Man From Detroit" - Hard Place
• "Moths And Lizards In Detroit" - Andy Roberts
• "Michigan & Trumbull" - The Original Brothers and Sisters of Love
• "Motor City" - The Satintones
• "Motor City" - Randy Weeks
• "Motor City Baby" - The Dirtbombs
• "Motor City Boogie" - York Brothers
• "Motor City Girl" - The Badways
• "Motor City Is Burning" - MC5; John Lee Hooker
• "Motor City Madhouse" - Ted Nugent 1975
• "Motor City Serenade" - Stewart Francke
• "Motortown" - Kane Gang
• "M.O.T.O.W.N. (Murderous Outcold Town Of Wild Niggaz)" - Big Herk
• "Motown Country" - CURTICE/MARKLEY & Motown Station
• "Motown Music" - Rod Stewart 1991 (#10 on Billboard Hot 100)
• "Motown Junk" - Manic Street Preachers (Welsh band)
• "Motown Never Sounded So Good" - Less Than Jake
• ”Movin’ Along (A Song For Detroit)” - Alma Smith^[6]
• "Move To Detroit" - Eddie "Flashin" Fowlkes
• "Murder City Nights" - Radio Birdman

N

• "Need Somebody" - Subdudes
• "New Detroit" - Neon Blonde
• "Nobody in Detroit" - Howling Diablos
• "New Nathans Detroit"- Braid (band)
• "Northern Soul"- Above and Beyond (band)

O

• "Ode To Detroit" - Wally Pleasant
• "The Old Stuff" - Garth Brooks
• "One Piece At A Time" - Johnny Cash
• ”One Woman Army - Porcelain Black
• "One Way Out" - thenewno2
• "Out" - Insane Clown Posse

P

• "Paid" - Kid Rock
• "Panic In Detroit" - David Bowie
• "Papa Hobo" - Paul Simon
• "Party on 4th Street" - Black Nasty (available on the "Funky Funky Detroit" compilation)
• "Passport to Detroit" - Joe Strummer
• "Put Your Hands Up 4 Detroit" - Fedde Le Grand (#1 UK Singles Chart)
• "Planet of Visions" - Kraftwerk
• "Please II" - Eminem
• "Posse On Verner* - Insane Clown Posse
• "the Power's Out" -Flogging Molly
• "Peacemaker" - Green Day (The song is part of a rock opera album which takes place in Detroit. The lyric "I am a killjoy, from Detroit"). 21st Century Breakdown^[7]
• "Pride of the Wolverines" - John Philip Sousa^[8]

Q

• "Queen of Detroit" - +/- (band)

R

• 'Rainin in Detroit" - Eliza Neals
• "Renaissance State of Mind" - Ro Spit & Monica Blaire
• "Represent" - Stretch Money
• "Reputation" - Apollo Brown & Guilty Simpson
• "Ride" - Royce Da 5'9" ft. Big Herk & Juan
• "Rise Again" - Hush
• "Rock City" - Royce da 5'9" featuring Eminem
• "Rock & Roll (The Velvet Underground song)" - Detroit (band)
• "Rock N Roll Jesus" - Kid Rock
• "Roll On (Kid Rock song)" - Kid Rock 2008
• "Rollin' On The Island" (Featuring Wes Chill And Prince Vince) - Kid Rock
• "Rose Darling" - Steely Dan

S

• "So Detroit"- Slight Return feat. The A.I. Fam wsg Tony "T Money" Green
• "Say Nice Things About Detroit" - They Might Be Giants
• "Son Of Detroit" - Kid Rock
• "South Telegraph Rd" - Amboy Rambler^[9]
• "Second Home" - Big A
• "Seized Up" - The Suicide Machines
• "Shake That" - Eminem feat. Nate Dogg
• "Shake Your Detroit Right" - Slight Return feat. George Clinton
• "Shuttin' Detroit Down" - John Rich
• "Sister" - Sufjan Stevens
• "Six Mile Stretch"- Sam Donahue and Ken Meisel
• "Sleepin Tonight In Detroit"- The Disregarded
• "So Far..." - Eminem
• "Son Of Detroit" - Kid Rock
• "Southwest Song" - Insane Clown Posse
• "Spaghetti a Detroit" - Fred Bongusto
• "Straight From The D" - Mr Knox
• "Stay True To Ya City" - Natas
• "She Was Hot" - The Rolling Stones^[10]

T

• The D - Slight Return
• "Take His Life" - Royce da 5'9" & Tre Little
• "Take Money To Make Money" - Stretch Money
• "Taking It To Detroit" - The Good Rats -
• "Telegraph Road" - Dire Straits (from UK)
• "That's Detroit To Me" - King Gordy
• "The Arms Forest" - The Hard Lessons
• "The D In Detroit" - Anniversary
• "The Fire Inside - Bob Seger
• "The Girl from Detroit City - Suzi Quatro
• "The Heart of Rock & Roll" - Huey Lewis & the News
• "The Smog" - Insane Clown Posse
• "These Hands (song for Detroit)" - Jason Roseboom
• "There They Go" - Obie Trice (Featuring Eminem And Big Herk)
• "This One Or That One" - Tyvek
• "Tooling For Anus" - The Meatmen (Chorus mentions Detroit and suburban clubs such as, 'Bookies', 'Nunzio's' and 'Menjo's')
• "Tommy Pays the Rent" - Manolete (Mentions growing up in Michigan and Detroit)
• "Turn It Up" - Texas Hippie Coalition ("Darling Nikki was from Detroit")

U

• "U Can Get Fucked Up" - Trick Trick (featuring Goon Sqwad)
• "Up on Twelfth Street" Sir Mack Rice

W

• Welcome To The D- Slight Return
• "W.T.P. (White Trash Party)" - Eminem
• "We Almost Lost Detroit" - Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
• "We Almost Lost Detroit" - Gil Scott-Heron
• "We Almost Lost Detroit" - Natas
• "We Almost Lost Detroit" - Marquise Porter
• "Welcome 2 Detroit" - Trick Trick (featuring Eminem)
• "Welcome 2 The Party" - Kid Rock
• "Welcome Back To Detroit - Mariner
• "Welcome To Detroit" - Jay-Dee
• "Welcome To Detroit" - Eminem
• "Welcome To Detroit City" - Obie Trice
• "What I Learned Out On The Road" - Kid Rock
• "Where My Nigz At ?" - Esham
• "Where the Money Is Made" Detroit Most Wanted
• "Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald, The" - Gordon Lightfoot
• "Worse Than Detroit" - Robert Plant
• "Who's Afraid of Detroit" - Claude VonStroke

Y

• "Yellow Brick Road" - Eminem
• "You Can Make It" - Achromatik feat. Royce da 5'9"
• "You Never Met A Mother Fucker Quite Like Me" - Kid Rock 2002
• "You Don't Want None of This" - A.W.O.L

Notes and References

1. "Hello Detroit auto workers, [...]You work a forty hour week for a livin', just to send it on down the line", mentioning of this city, was done in their music video song.
2. "Why it was [...] Detroit's city limitsIt's different and it's a certain significance. A certificate of authenticity." mentioning of Detroit city, in 8 Mile song, by Eminem.
3. Book: Inc, Nielsen Business Media. Billboard. 1943-08-28. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.. en.
4. Web site: Beatdrum | official site of Christian pop rock recording artist Beatdrum | Songs : Back to Detroit (Motor City Remix) . Beatdrum-music.com . 2015-10-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150414005712/http://beatdrum-music.com/songs/a/back_to_detroit_motor_city_remix . 2015-04-14 . dead .
5. Web site: Amboy Rambler . 2020-03-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160605083826/http://www.amboy-rambler.com/ . 2016-06-05 . dead .
6. Web site: Alma Smith: The Countess 1922-2012. Detroit Sound Conservancy. en-US. 2019-12-14.
7. Web site: Green Day - Peacemaker Lyrics . https://web.archive.org/web/20180625093003/http://www.metrolyrics.com/peacemaker-lyrics-green-day.html. 2018-06-25. unfit . MetroLyrics . 2015-10-27.
8. Web site: The Pride of the Wolverines. Alfred Music . 2017-07-26.
9. Web site: Amboy Rambler . 2020-03-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160605083826/http://www.amboy-rambler.com/ . 2016-06-05 . dead .
10. Web site: She Was Hot - Lyrics . Keno.org . 2015-10-27.