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- Traditional – “St. James Infirmary Blues” Traced back to its origins in England in the 18th Century, “St. James Infirmary Blues” was inspired by centuries-old folk song “The Unfortunate Rake,” about a soldier who dies of venereal disease.
- Professor Longhair – “Go To The Mardi Gras” Henry Roeland Byrd, better known as Professor Longhair, is one of New Orleans’ most revered musicians, his boisterous R&B hybrid – melding elements of Caribbean and ragtime – influencing the likes of fellow Orleanians Allen Toussaint and Dr. John.
- Dr. John – “Sweet Home New Orleans” Sometimes known as “The Night Tripper,” Dr. John has become an emblem of the diverse musical gumbo that’s been simmering in New Orleans over the past century.
- Steve Earle – “This City” The closing track on Steve Earle’s 2011 album I’ll Never Get Out Of This World Alive was written and recorded for the HBO series Treme, which is set in a post-Katrina New Orleans.
- “Down in New Orleans” by Dr. John
- “Go to The Mardi Gras” by Professor Longhair
- “Crescent City” by Lucinda Williams
- “House of The Rising Sun” by The Animals
- “Born on The Bayou” by Creedence Clearwater Revival
- “I Wish I Was in New Orleans” by Tom Waits
- “Goin’ Back to New Orleans” by Dr. John
- “Mardi Gras Mambo” by The Hawkettes
- “Treme Song” by John Boutté
- “The Battle of New Orleans” by Johnny Horton
“Down in New Orleans” is a song written by legendary impresario Randy Newman for the 2009 Disney movie “Princess and the Frog.” It is the first full song to appear in the film and serves as the main theme of the movie. The lyrics foreshadow the events of the story while celebrating the city as a place filled with mansions and magic (a reference to ...
You may guess based on the title that this festive song centers around Mardi Gras. Professor Longhair, whose real name is Henry Roland Byrd, wrote the song with Theresa Terry in 1949. The lyrics are straightforward and urge the listener to attend the carnival if they ever visit New Orleans. Today, this R&B song routinely gets played during the Carn...
Lucinda Williams wrote “Crescent City” in 1988, which is an alternative country song with Cajun influence that she wrote out of love and admiration for New Orleans. Crescent City is one of its many nicknames and comes from the shape of the river bend at the heart of the city. Her lyrics include two Cajun Frenchphrases and reference other parts of L...
“House Of The Rising Sun” is a traditional folk song also called “Rising Sun Blues.” It has uncertain authorship, with the earliest recorded version sung by miners in the early 20th Century. The lyrics tell the story of a person’s life going wrong in New Orleans and warn others about meeting the same fate. Perhaps the most commercially well-known v...
This song appeared on the album, Bayou Country. It came out in 1969, and its genre is classified as “swamp rock.” It’s an ode to New Orleans, although the songwriter, John Fogerty, never lived there or anywhere in the South. Fogerty saw a bayou for the first time after playing a show in Baton Rouge in 1969 and was incredibly inspired. He researched...
Tom Waits wrote this beautiful song in 1976 as a wistful homage to New Orleans. The lyrics and melody switch between sadness and joy, capturing the bittersweet essence of feeling homesick for life in the city. That longing takes the lyrics on a journey through the Big Easy. The narrator wants to be back on Bourbon Street with his friends, a drink, ...
Another entry from Dr. John, “Sweet Home New Orleans is an unabashed celebration of the Big Easy. It came out in 1992 on the album of the same name. The jaunty, upbeat song is rich in detail, with its style evoking the eclectic genres that make up the city’s musical culture. In the lyrics, the narrator uses Cajun terms to reference all of the loved...
Frankie Adams and Lou Welsch wrote this as a country song in 1953, with the best-known version performed by the Hawkettes. This track is a quintessential Mardi Gras song. It captures everything people love about the carnival season and Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Its lyrics laud New Orleans as the place where blues was born while referencing Ram...
John Boutté is a jazz singer born and raised in New Orleans. He has a diverse style that dips into R&B, gospel, Latin, and the blues. The “Treme Song” appeared on his Jambalaya album and is the theme song of a show on HBO called Treme. The lyrics reference the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans, famed for its vibrant nightlife, local cuisine, and ja...
Here is one entry that differs a lot from other songs on this list. “The Battle of New Orleans” was written by Jimmy Driftwood, a principal of a school in Arkansas. He wrote music to get his students more interested in learning about the War of 1812. Its lyrics vividly recount the Battle of New Orleans, which was fought near the French Quarter in 1...
Jun 3, 2016 · 1 of 4. Way Down Yonder in New Orleans. John Turner Layton Jr. and Henry Creamer first transported music lovers to “the land of dreamy dreams” in 1922. New Orleans Bump. Jelly Roll Morton...
Many cite this as the first true classic rock song, and became the first British Invasion number one unconnected with the Beatles. It was the group's breakthrough hit in both countries and became their signature song.
- House of the Rising Sun – The Animals. The Animals - House Of The Rising Sun (Music Video) [4K HD] The biggest widespread hit about the city of New Orleans ironically comes from an English rock band.
- Down in New Orleans – Dr. John. Dr. John - Down in New Orleans (From "The Princess and the Frog"/Sing-Along) For this one, we enter the world of Disney animated films.
- Go To The Mardi Gras – Professor Longhair. Go To The Mardi Gras. If we’re going to talk about New Orleans, we have to include staple songs of Mardis Gras and the city’s festival season.
- Sweet Home New Orleans – Dr. John. Sweet Home New Orleans. Speaking of Dr. John, we have to include another one of his songs on the list. The man’s music style is emblematic of the New Orleans music scene, creating a jazzy sound that mixes R&B, jazz, and Afro-Cuban music together.
Oct 5, 2018 · 10 Classic, Authentic New Orleans Mardi Gras Songs. These best classic Mardi Gras songs, in no particular order, cover the 50s, 60s, and 70s in search of the timeless Carnival hits of New Orleans—funk, rock and roll, R&B, brass band music, and more.
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Apr 29, 2024 · Go to the Mardi Gras – Professor Longhair. No city throws a party quite like New Orleans, and musicians have long celebrated this special talent of The Big Easy. In 1949, Henry Byrd (who goes by his stage name Professor Longhair) recorded ‘Go to the Mardi Gras’ as a celebratory, R&B-style theme song for events.
