The “Love Is Blind” premiere isn’t the only thing putting Columbus in the spotlight.
A trending TikTok song is highlighting the quirks— and the glam— of Ohio’s capital city.
Saxboybilly18, a creator based in Pittsburgh known for writing comedic songs about places he visits, posted “The Columbus Song” on Feb. 10. The short track quickly gained traction for its tongue-in-cheek references to landmarks, local lore and inside jokes only residents would fully appreciate.
The song opens with a familiar rallying cry: “First time in Columbus O-H I-O,” before rhyming a list of references to the city.
‘The Columbus Song’ highlights local gems
“Insurance, corn henge, luxury condos,” the creator sings — nodding to the towering Nationwide building downtown, the concrete cornfield installation in Dublin and the steady rise of upscale apartment developments, particularly around Ohio State University.
He follows with “a school that crosses out the M’s,” an obvious reference to Ohio State’s rivalry with that team up north, where fans symbolically avoid using the letter during rivalry week.
Other lines lean into internet-famous Columbus tropes, including “cars always crashing into buildings” — a phenomenon that has repeatedly went viral— and “every single bus sits empty,” a jab at perceptions of low COTA ridership.
The song also references the city’s abundance of “fast casual and sit-down chains,” a commentary on Columbus’ reputation for having a robust, but chain-heavy, food scene.
One lyric mentions “a mall magnate that knew Jeff Epstein. That’s a reference to L Brands founder Les Wexner, who has previously acknowledged his historic ties to Epstein.
The chorus circles back to “It’s Columbus O-H I-O,” before calling out the Ohio Statehouse as the “only statehouse without a dome.”
This is where we must issue one correction. Ohio’s Statehouse does have a low-profile cupola rather than a traditional tall dome, but it’s not the only capitol building to eschew the more common architectural feature.
Alaska’s is literally just an office building.
The song ends with perhaps its most universally agreed-upon takeaway: “Everyone said go to Wario’s / Yes, that’s the place I wanna go,” spotlighting the popular Arena District sandwich shop that’s become a local favorite.
The video closes with a scene of Hayden Falls Park in Dublin which is a well-known tourist attraction.
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: A viral TikTok song is putting Columbus’ quirks in the spotlight
Reporting by Amani Bayo, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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