A Short Playlist of Songs About Jacksonville

Jacksonville has been the birthplace for so many great musical acts over the years, and the city has always enjoyed an active music scene.

So it should come as no surprise that, over the years, several artists and bands have penned songs that allude to or even pay homage to the Bold City.

Below we’ve assembled a short collection of our favorite songs about Jacksonville. It’s by no means a definitive list, and we hope to hear from you all with some of your favorites!

“Ocean Avenue” – Yellowcard

Punk band Yellowcard hit it big with their 2004 single, “Ocean Avenue.” Most locals know that the song refers to growing up and coming of age in Jacksonville – specifically, at the Beaches.

The titular street of Ocean Avenue, of course, doesn’t actually exist. It just sounded better than Ocean Boulevard, the actual street being referenced.

The song also references Cherry Street. There are two of those in the area, but it’s most likely that Yellowcard was referring to the one in Neptune Beach.

“Gimme Three Steps” – Lynyrd Skynyrd

No one can quite agree on where the conflict featured in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Gimme Three Steps” actually took place. Some say it was at The Jug, some say The Little Brown Jug, and some say The Pastime.

But just about everyone agrees that it took place on the west side of Jacksonville, the original home of the legendary southern rock band. The song was one of Skynyrd’s first singles and was featured on their debut album.

“Orange Ball-Peen Hammer” – Mudhoney

“Runnin’ nightly through the streets of Jacksonville,” begins Mudhoney’s “Orange Ball-Peen Hammer.” The rest of the lyrics you’ll have to interpret on your own – quite frankly, we had trouble doing so.

Regardless, the indie band’s song is very clearly talking about Jacksonville, FL, with its references to Florida orange juice and a “swampy refuge.”

“My Generation” – Limp Bizkit

As with others on this list, Limp Bizkit was founded right here in Jacksonville. They commemorate their local roots in several of their songs, but none are as noteworthy as Fred Durst’s menacing growl in “My Generation.”

“John Otto,” he says, referencing the band’s drummer, “Take ‘em to the Mathews Bridge!”

The Mathews Bridge is, of course, one of the city’s seven bridges that cross the St. Johns River. It’s located on the outskirts of downtown Jacksonville, where Limp Bizkit rose to prominence playing shows at the Milk Bar.

“Jacksonville” – Josh Turner

If country music is more your speed, you’ll enjoy Josh Turner’s ballad about our beautiful city.

In the song Turner refers to a love story that begins on Ocean Drive while he was just passing through the city. His new love inspires him to “kill a few more days in Jacksonville.”

The song was part of Turner’s 2003 album, Long Black Train.

“Homecoming” – Taking Back Sunday

Alt-rock band Taking Back Sunday has no ties to Jacksonville aside from coming here on tour, but they were inspired enough by the city to allude to it in their song “Homecoming.”

The song and the Jax reference were inspired by the band overhearing conversations while playing at Navy bases, which makes sense given the Navy’s prominence in Jax. It’s written from the perspective of a soldier who is nostalgic for his home of Jacksonville.

“Jacksonville Kid” – Lynyrd Skynyrd

“Jacksonville, I love you, but you don’t want me around,” sings Ronnie Van Zant. Skynyrd’s second entry on our mini-playlist is dedicated to Jax’s stuffier “old guard” that thumbed their noses at the band back in the day. It’s an alternate take of “Honky Tonk Night Time Man,” which was featured on the band’s 1977 album Street Survivors.

It’s also believed to have been Van Zant’s final recording before his tragic death in a plane crash.