Phillies

Suck it, Nashville: Philadelphia Named “Original Music City” (by Our Own City Council)

By Kyle Pagan

Published: May 30th, 2025 · 12:35 PM EDT

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Suck it, Nashville! Take a hike Memphis! The City of Brotherly Love was just named “Original Music City!” By who? Our own City Council, baby! Is it like the Sixers giving themselves an award for best front office in sports? Yes, but who cares. We’re the “Original Music City” now and no one can take that away from us. Look at the musical titans we’ve produced from Philly, via Cherise Lynch NBCPhiladelphia.com:

Philadelphia’s rich musical history is getting official recognition.

Councilmember Isaiah Thomas introduced a resolution declaring Philadelphia “The Original Music City,” a nod to the cultural and economic impact the music industry has had in the city.

The resolution notes that the city has been home to music legends like Teddy Pendergrass, Boyz II Men, The Roots, Patti LaBelle, Hall & Oates, Will Smith, Jasmine Sullivan, Freeway, and Tierra Whack.

In addition, officials note the city has “cemented its place in musical history through esteemed institutions” such as the Curtis Institute of Music, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Academy of Music.

One of the goals moving forward is to encourage budding artists to stay in the city and bolster the music scene.

We do have a sneaky-great music scene. Obviously people from the area know that, but when people are priced out of New York they come down to Philly and realize it’s so much better. We’ve got the Linc, Wells Fargo Center, TLA, the Mann, Union Transfer, The Met, Fillmore, and more just in this area. Now we could use another festival with headlining acts to replace Made in America, but we’ll see how that goes in the future. Festivals are going through a bit of a rollercoaster right now. But hey, when you’re walking around with that extra pep in your in step now you’ll know why. It’s not because it’s Friday, it’s because this beautiful city is musically original!

I’m in the wrong line of work, man. Why the hell did I choose a life of content when I could’ve gone into City Council and lived a lavish existence? I could’ve spent all day thinking of different things to call Philadelphia and no one could stop me. Pass a bill? Screw that. Here’s a resolution calling for Philadelphia to become The Original Cheesesteak City! Hell yea! Send that press release over to 3, 6, and 10 and tell them to run it. I’m going back on vacation.

What a job. As you get older you start to really understand that we all do the same thing no matter what line of work we’re in. We’re all just trying to find a way to make it look like we’re busy. City Council has a mountain of issues they need to tackle, but who cares! Give them a resolution! Ok, what does that do? Nothing! But it looks good on the evening news! Don’t tell these people this shit doesn’t matter:

That’s the only fully functioning Freeway in the city.

This reminds me of one of those made-up desk calendars that have “holidays” 365 days a year. Did you know May 30th is National Rotisserie Chicken Day? Well you do now. Some council member in Kentucky probably spent a month getting that through the finish line. It’s also National Water a Flower Day. You can ignore your plants the rest of the year, but don’t be an asshole and forget today.