When talking to a non-Athenian about music, it is not uncommon for Athens residents to name drop. R.E.M., Widespread Panic, Of Montreal, The Whigs – the list goes on. Classic City residents live in a music mecca, and they know it.
Perhaps even more delightful is the realization that name-dropping goes both ways.
Here’s a look at some songs and albums in which artists give a nod to the town that helped them make it big:

B-52′s – “Deadbeat Club,” “Love Shack”
The B-52′s were one of the most influential bands in putting Athens on the music map. “I’m headin’ down the Atlanta highway, lookin’ for the love getaway” are familiar lyrics to any ’80s music fan.
And “Deadbeat Club” glorifies college years in Athens even more than the brief hometown reference in “Love Shack.”
Written by drummer Keith Strickland shortly after guitarist Ricky Wilson’s untimely death, “Deadbeat Club” is reminiscent of the band’s early days in Athens. The song references Normaltown and Allen’s Bar and Grill, a lyrical detail that “definitely immortalized the place,” Allen’s owner Hilt Moree said.

R.E.M. – “Automatic for the People”
In true R.E.M. fashion, this is a lyrical reference that makes no sense unless the listener is in the know. The title of the band’s critically-acclaimed eighth album stems from the Weaver D’s mission statement: “Customer service is of utmost importance, as we strive to remain automatic for the people.”
Owner Dexter Weaver coined this catchy phrase to imply that his staff would always be ready and efficient – like an automated device.
Although R.E.M. is associated with local establishments such as The Grit and The 40 Watt, “Automatic for the People” is the band’s only album named for an Athens location.

Corey Smith – “Twenty-One”
College life in the South is one of Corey Smith’s primary subject matters. Although many of his songs reference Athens, “Twenty-One” most outrightly discusses Smith’s time at the University.
His experiences “on Clayton Street in the bars” and drinking kegs of beer “when the Bulldogs play” accurately describe the lives of many current students at the University.
Although Smith is married with a family and claims to have grown out of his college ways, his most well-loved songs are those about the youthful mistakes he made.