Major artists and bands that call Detroit home

When famed Steelers’ running back Jerome Bettis returned to his hometown for Super Bowl XL… When famed Steelers’ running back Jerome Bettis returned to his hometown for Super Bowl XL earlier this week, the media had a field day retracing every step in his long career. All roads led to Detroit, Mich., a city that is no stranger to the spotlight. Long before Bettis was rushing his way toward the Football Hall of Fame, Detroit was making headlines for everything from its exceptional industry and Civil Rights involvement to its high crime rates and thriving music scene. So get yourself ready for Super Bowl Sunday by checking out these artists, songs and movies that pay tribute to the Motor City.

Indie newcomer Sufjan Stevens began his career as a singer/songwriter in Holland, Mich., nearly 200 miles from Detroit. But the release of his latest album, Greeting from Michigan: The Great Lakes State, finds Stevens paying homage to the state’s largest city. In “Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Heart,” Stevens outlines the city’s history and laments its fall into crime and violence. All this is done over the winding, varied musical backdrop for which Stevens is gaining renown. Although his style is a bit mellow for pre-game festivities, the songs are consistently great and certainly warrant attention.

“Detroit Rock City,” a film about four teenage boys on a quest to see KISS live in the Motor City, shows the tougher side of Detroit. Despite the efforts of one insanely strict mother, sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll abound in this hilarious stoner flick. The writing is coarse, the budget is low and the actors are undistinguished, but somehow the movie still earns more than a few laughs. And since much of the footage was actually shot in Detroit, watching this movie could be considered game-day research.

More recently, Eminem burst onto the rap scene in 1999. With a wicked combination of witty lyrics and infectious beats, Eminem quickly ascended to hip-hop royalty. In 2002, “8 Mile” exposed the real-life struggles of a young rapper in Detroit. The movie itself received mixed reviews, but the soundtrack was undeniably impressive. His latest album, a greatest-hits compilation called Curtain Call, includes “Stan,” “The Real Slim Shady” and “Lose Yourself.” With its link to Detroit and energetic track listing, Curtain Call is the perfect pre-game accompaniment.

Finally and most famously, the ’60s found Detroit inventing an entirely new genre of music: Motown. The scene that gave us Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye began with the creation of Motown Records in the late 1950s. Within a decade, the upbeat soul style known as the “Detroit sound” was being heard around the country, making Motown Records the No. 1 label. If, by some unlikely accident, the Steelers were to fall behind on Sunday, consider putting on Diana Ross’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” for motivation. And of course, what could be more appropriate at the end of the game than Martha Reeves’ “Dancing in the Street”? After all, they aren’t calling this the Motown Showdown for nothing.

At more than $2,000 per ticket, not many of us will be around to watch The Bus pull into what will most likely be his last stop. But with all of this Detroit-based entertainment, there are plenty of ways to get in a Motor City mindset.