SING THE STATES #13.1: Washington D.C.

Ok, so we all know that D.C. isn't a state. It's just a district. But since that district is the capital of the United States, it gets to be on the list. It was officially organized in 1801, and has served as the capital for 208 years. I love D.C., and although I've only been back rarely in the last few years, I still have a lot of affection for the District. So did Parliament, who named their 1975 album, Chocolate City, after it (a nickname earned due to the cities then-growing black population). Stephen Colbert evoked the nickname at the 2006 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner when he called D.C. "the chocolate city with a marshmallow center and a graham cracker crust of corruption". Oh that Colbert.

I'm sure many of you could have seen this song choice coming miles away - but I'm gonna go ahead and do it anyway. I love The Postal Service's "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight", and I don't care who knows it. After a two-year hiatus from popular music in general, Give Up was one of the very first albums I heard as I moved back to college (along with this one). It still makes me wax all nostalgic. And so does D.C. So this was a pretty natural fit. Enjoy.

Also considered: The Magnetic Fields - Washington D.C.; Parliament - Chocolate City

The Postal Service - The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
from the album Give Up (Amazon/iTunes)

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