South Street in Philadelphia appears in the Dovells' You Can't Sit Down and the Orlons' South Street. Both groups were from Philadelphia. South Street is really about Sansom Street, around 19th and 20th Streets, which was the hippie mecca of the day, and was originally titled Sansom Street, but South Street sounded better in song, see, for ex., http://biffco.com/phila-sites/.
[Someone asked me whether “Sansom Village” would have been active enough in 1963 to have beenthe true subject of the Orlons' song. Here is what I see. Orlons’ singer Stephen Caldwell says the song is actually about Sansom Street and should be a definitive answer, at https://books.google.com/books?id=aFdiCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=orlons+south+street+sansom+street&source=bl&ots=M7wZBoCipe&sig=ACfU3U0ICTlHH7qCPpE9A_PQi00KegUqxw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-lOvXnbr5AhU6kYkEHQ8vDucQ6AF6BAgiEAM#v=onepage&q=orlons%20south%20street%20sansom%20street&f=false. Supports: http://michaelsmusiclog.blogspot.com/2011/04/orlons-wah-watusisouth-street-2010-cd.html. Somewhat supports: https://books.google.com/books?id=E55UYXoilEYC&pg=PA297&lpg=PA297&dq=south+street+orlons+sansom+street&source=bl&ots=ehf0ORiz7T&sig=ACfU3U2_bnbcZ605HKVCspPPdKuhKtxFPQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi854KHn7r5AhUJjIkEHR7NC8AQ6AF6BAghEAM#v=onepage&q=south%20street%20orlons%20sansom%20street&f=false. And https://www.theartblog.org/2020/03/sid-sachss-invisible-city-philadelphias-bustling-experimental-art-scene-1956-76/. And https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2012/06/stone-dawn-interview-1.html. Somewhat contra: https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/south-street-song/. South St. was originally named Cedar St., until 1854, http://michaelsmusiclog.blogspot.com/2011/04/orlons-wah-watusisouth-street-2010-cd.html. --- Editor]
Publication date | Jun 24, 2018 |
Neighborhood |
South Street in Philadelphia appears in the Dovells' You Can't Sit Down and the Orlons' South Street. Both groups were from Philadelphia. South Street is really about Sansom Street, around 19th and 20th Streets, which was the hippie mecca of the day, and was originally titled Sansom Street, but South Street sounded better in song, see, for ex., http://biffco.com/phila-sites/.
[Someone asked me whether “Sansom Village” would have been active enough in 1963 to have beenthe true subject of the Orlons' song. Here is what I see. Orlons’ singer Stephen Caldwell says the song is actually about Sansom Street and should be a definitive answer, at https://books.google.com/books?id=aFdiCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=orlons+south+street+sansom+street&source=bl&ots=M7wZBoCipe&sig=ACfU3U0ICTlHH7qCPpE9A_PQi00KegUqxw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-lOvXnbr5AhU6kYkEHQ8vDucQ6AF6BAgiEAM#v=onepage&q=orlons%20south%20street%20sansom%20street&f=false. Supports: http://michaelsmusiclog.blogspot.com/2011/04/orlons-wah-watusisouth-street-2010-cd.html. Somewhat supports: https://books.google.com/books?id=E55UYXoilEYC&pg=PA297&lpg=PA297&dq=south+street+orlons+sansom+street&source=bl&ots=ehf0ORiz7T&sig=ACfU3U2_bnbcZ605HKVCspPPdKuhKtxFPQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi854KHn7r5AhUJjIkEHR7NC8AQ6AF6BAghEAM#v=onepage&q=south%20street%20orlons%20sansom%20street&f=false. And https://www.theartblog.org/2020/03/sid-sachss-invisible-city-philadelphias-bustling-experimental-art-scene-1956-76/. And https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2012/06/stone-dawn-interview-1.html. Somewhat contra: https://philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/essays/south-street-song/. South St. was originally named Cedar St., until 1854, http://michaelsmusiclog.blogspot.com/2011/04/orlons-wah-watusisouth-street-2010-cd.html. --- Editor]