"Downtown" in Top 30 music

Well, it's Friday night, and people all over these great United States are headed downtown, or, like me, they are at least pondering the idea of doing so. Plenty of songs from the Billboard year-end Top 30 charts (1951-2015) mention downtown, including this novelty hit from the 1950s, and this one, too. This music video essay begins with a clip from 1965 of the quintessential downtown song and then proceeds chronologically into the present decade. Buckle up for the ride, there are some real dandies here.

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