This is a list of references to Cleveland in popular culture. Founded in 1796 near the mouth of the
Cuyahoga River,
Cleveland is a major city in the
U.S. state of
Ohio and the
county seat of
Cuyahoga County.[1] The city is located along the southern shore of
Lake Erie, across the U.S.
maritime border with
Canada and approximately 60 miles (97 km) west of the Ohio-
Pennsylvania state border. Cleveland has been used as the site of numerous books, films, music, and television shows; as well as being mentioned or referenced in many others. Below is a partial list.
Cleveland serves as the setting for fictitious insurance giant Great Benefit in The Rainmaker (1997); in the film, Key Tower doubles as the firm's main headquarters.[citation needed]
The 2016 film The Land, directed by
Steven Caple Jr, is set in Cleveland and contains numerous shots of Cleveland.[20]
The 2020 film Get Out of Home, directed by and starring Cleveland filmmaker Tony Bialowas, starts in Cleveland and contains references to Cleveland.[21]
"
The Heart of Rock & Roll" by
Huey Lewis and the News references Cleveland as being the heart of rock & roll. Originally, the song lyric was going to be "The heart of rock and roll is in Cleveland," rather than "The heart of rock and roll is still beating."[24]
Kid Cudi, a
Shaker Heights native, alludes to cold Cleveland weather in "Cleveland is the Reason", on
A Kid Named Cudi. He also says it's the reason for his sadness in "Cuyahoga Blues." In an interview about working on
808's and Heartbreak he said, "Cleveland wasn’t fit for me as a city. A kid with big dreams I mean, there’s not much in Cleveland to do to accomplish all those goals that I had."[25]
^Jonathan Green, Gabe Miller (writers), & Matt Engstrom (director) (April 3, 2011). "The Essence of Cleveland". The Cleveland Show. Season 2. Episode 18.
Fox.{{
cite episode}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
^O'Connor, Clint (October 21, 2012).
"'Fun Size': Cleveland gets its close-up in new comedy starring Victoria Justice". Cleveland.com. Cleveland Live LLC. Retrieved October 21, 2012. ... we see downtown, the skyline, the majesty of the lake, the beauty and character of neighborhoods in Lakewood, Cleveland Heights and Beachwood and the rumpled urban charm of Collinwood, among other locales.