The 2016 UK #1 “I took a pill in Ibiza” by Mike Posner is a recent addition to my repertoire. It was unfamiliar to me until last week. It reminds me of Joe South’s classic 1969 release “The games people play” (which peaked at #6) so I mix the two songs together. Ibiza is one of many place-names to appear in the titles of songs that reached the top of the UK charts. As far as I can see it is the only place-name to appear in two different chart-toppers (unless we include Xanadu). In addition to Mike Posner’s release there’s “We’re Going to Ibiza!” by the Vengaboys. The latter is essentially a cover of Typically Tropical’s 1975 single “Barbados”, which also made it to #1, and was played earlier today on Johnnie Walker’s “Sounds of the 70s” show on BBC Radio 2. The current UK #1 is “Take me back to London” by Ed Sheeran and Stormzy. It’s the first #1 to mention the UK’s capital city in its title. Northern Ireland’s main city has featured in a previous one (“Belfast child” by Simple Minds) but not London.
These song titles featuring geographical locations have prompted me to see how many more there are, and to create the lists that follow. Previous pieces on this Blog have looked at a range of linked #1 song titles, such as those that feature girls’ names, those that feature boys’ names and those that feature numbers. A full list of such pieces appears at the end of this one.
Country names
The names of three countries feature in UK #1s: Barbados, Argentina, America, as follows:
| Month | Artist | Song |
| Aug 1975 | Typically Tropical | Barbados |
| Feb 1977 | Julie Covington | Don’t Cry For Me Argentina |
| Oct 2006 | Razorlight | America |
Towns and cities
The following towns and cities all feature in UK #1s: Laramie (Wyoming), Paris (France), San Francisco (California), Woodstock (New York), Liverpool (UK), Belfast (UK), Mandalay (Myanmar / Burma), Amarillo (Texas), Detroit (Michigan), Havana (Cuba), London (UK). Here’s the full list:
| Month | Artist | Song |
| Oct 1955 | Jimmy Young | The Man From Laramie |
| Apr 1956 | Winifred Atwell | Poor People Of Paris |
| Aug 1967 | Scott McKenzie | San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair) |
| Oct 1970 | Matthews’ Southern Comfort | Woodstock |
| Dec 1972 | Little Jimmy Osmond | Long Haired Lover From Liverpool |
| Feb 1989 | Simple Minds | Belfast Child |
| Jul 2001 | Robbie Williams | The Road to Mandalay |
| Mar 2005 | Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay | (Is This The Way To) Amarillo |
| Nov 2006 | Fedde Le Grand | Put Your Hands Up For Detroit |
| Nov 2017 | Camila Cabello featuring Young Thug | Havana |
| Sep 2019 | Ed Sheeran featuring Stormzy | Take Me Back to London |
Other places (regions, states, islands, rivers) mentioned in UK #1s
The following place-names and rivers also appear in UK #1s: Cumberland, Carolina, Massachusetts, Waterloo, Mississippi, Mull of Kintyre, Orinoco, Mersey, Ibiza, Barry Island, California.
| Month | Artist | Song |
| Apr 1957 | Lonnie Donegan | Cumberland Gap |
| Sep 1958 | Connie Francis | Carolina Moon |
| Oct 1967 | Bee Gees | Massachusetts |
| May 1974 | Abba | Waterloo |
| Oct 1976 | Pussycat | Mississippi |
| Dec 1977 | Wings | Mull Of Kintyre |
| Oct 1988 | Enya | Orinoco Flow |
| May 1989 | Christians, Holly Johnson, Paul McCartney, Gerry Marsden, Stock Aitken & Waterman | Ferry ‘Cross The Mersey |
| Sep 1999 | Vengaboys | We’re Going To Ibiza! |
| Mar 2009 | Vanesa Jenkins & Bryn West featuring Sir Tom Jones & Barry Gibb | (Barry) Islands In The Stream |
| Jul 2010 | Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg | California Gurls |
| Mar 2016 | Mike Posner | I Took a Pill in Ibiza |
Heaven
According to Belinda Carlisle’s 1988 #1 “Heaven is a place on earth”. If that is true, then we can add the following 7 songs to our list:
| Month | Artist | Song |
| 31-Jan-53 | Eddie Fisher | Outside Of Heaven |
| 25-Jun-60 | Eddie Cochran | Three Steps To Heaven |
| 28-Jun-86 | Wham! | Edge Of Heaven |
| 16-Jan-88 | Belinda Carlisle | Heaven Is A Place On Earth |
| 29-Sep-90 | Maria McKee | Show Me Heaven |
| 21-Dec-96 | Dunblane | Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door |
| 9-Nov-02 | DJ Sammy & Yanou featuring Do | Heaven |
Mythical, Historical and Non-specific places
Babylon, Xanadu and the Garden of Eden all feature in UK #1s, as do the rather vague Land of Make Believe, La Isla Bonita, Yellow River and Down Under. All are included in the following list, in the interests of completeness:
| Month | Artist | Song |
| Jan 1957 | Frankie Vaughan | The Garden of Eden |
| Mar 1968 | Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich | Legend of Xanadu |
| Jun 1970 | Christie | Yellow River |
| May 1978 | Boney M | Rivers of Babylon |
| Jul 1980 | Olivia Newton-John & The Electric Light Orchestra | Xanadu |
| Jan 1982 | Bucks Fizz | Land of Make Believe |
| Jan 1983 | Men At Work | Down Under |
| Apr 1987 | Madonna | La Isla Bonita |
Previous pop trivia pieces about linked #1 song titles
UK #1 hit singles containing girls’ names
UK #1 hit singles containing boys’ names
UK #1 hit singles that include numbers
Titles of UK #1 hits contained within other #1s
Same artist and song name, same title different song
The Compartments 