Chautauqua County

Album: Pebble (2010)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Chautauqua County is located in Upstate New York. It was where Lemuria's drummer/songwriter Alex Kerns was born. Kerns told us that many fans are baffled by the song, as it's not a location that shows up in many works of art. "If you look at Chautauqua County on a map, you won't recognize any of the cities," Kerns said. "It's New York, but Buffalo's not there. My hometown where I was born is there, but it's just like a random town. There are counties in Utah that don't have Salt Lake City in it. There are a handful of people who are from that county who are, like, 'Why did you write about Chautauqua County?' That's the county where I was born in and the song's kind of about my early childhood during that time period. It's not all that weird, but it's unique from all the other songs I've written."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Dino Cazares of Fear Factory

Dino Cazares of Fear FactorySongwriter Interviews

The guitarist/songwriter explains how he came up with his signature sound, and deconstructs some classic Fear Factory songs.

George Harrison

George HarrisonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really steal George's wife? What's the George Harrison-Monty Python connection? Set the record straight with our Fact or Fiction quiz.

Steely Dan

Steely DanFact or Fiction

Did they really trade their guitarist to The Doobie Brothers? Are they named after something naughty? And what's up with the band name?