…And then we’ll take it higher.
I was in Brixton, London, today and stumbled across… Electric Avenue. There’s a market there.
I had no idea Electric Avenue was a real place. Nor that the song was even “set” in London.
As a fan of 80’s hip hop, I felt the same way I felt in my early days in New York City: Delancey Street; Hollis, Queens; Farmers Blvd; Sugar Hill; the South Bronx; Queensbridge; “next stop, 125th St.”… it’s all for real. (As is Brighton Beach, if you groove more with Neil Simon.)
I cannot, however, verify the Bristol Hotel (much less Room 515). But we all know where it’s at: Jamaica, Queens!
There are many. Southgate Kentucky
I suppose… but Eddy Grant didn't live in Kentucky.
The only reason I know of Southgate Kentucky's is the occasion whereby a bunch of us in drum corp (look it up if you have to) were seriously jamming to the tune when our bus turned onto (wait for it) Electric Avenue. This was about 1984.
Guess you had to be there.
I think you might be interested in this development.
wnyc.org/articles/wnyc-news/2011/sep/23/police-commissioner-calls-nypd-stop-improper-marijuana-arrests/
The Bristol hotel existed in Jamaica on the corner of 161st & 89th ave in the 80's …the place is now a half way home called Monica's house .
There are likely Electric Avenues all over the U.S. — there's one between my home town of Falls Church, VA, and Vienna, VA.
The Bristol Hotel was real. My father-in-law owned it back in the 80's when the song came out – he was not happy about the song's release to say the least. He sold it in the late 80's – not sure what happened to it since then
Fascinating!
There are indeed Electric Avenue's all over the USA. There is one on Cleveland's westside metro in Avon Lake. It's where the streetcars once ran.
Though I don't think Eddy Grant lived in Cleveland.