City Council voted Tuesday to make “Driving East” by country artist Celeste Kellogg the city’s official song.
The song’s lyrics don’t make it hard to figure out the singer’s destination.
“When I’m feeling lost, you know where I’ll be found,” it goes. “I’ve got my Jeep. We’re pointed east … Virginia Beach bound.”
“Driving East” was released last year and appears on Kellogg’s recent album, “My Journey.”
In March, she performed the song during the State of the City address to accompany a video of Mayor Bobby Dyer on a citywide road trip.
“It had such a wow factor,” Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson recalled on Wednesday.
Wilson thought it would make a great city song.
Dyer told WHRO that Kellogg’s performance during the State of the City set the tone for the day.
“It’s positive,” he said.
The city will encourage the song’s use during community events and civic ceremonies.
On Tuesday, Kellogg thanked the city after a video of the song played and the council presented her with a proclamation. She said she wrote “Driving East” from the heart and never expected it to become the city’s official song.
“You’ve done us proud and put us on the map even better,” Dyer told her.
Kellogg hails from Smithfield but called Virginia Beach a second home during an interview Tuesday.
“I wrote it about all the places music’s taken me, from the West Coast to the East Coast,” Kellogg said. “But my favorite view is when I see the ‘Welcome to Virginia’ sign and I’m heading back towards Virginia Beach because that’s where I find my peace. It’s where I feel at home.”
Wilson said she especially likes a line in the song about Virginia Beach being “where I find my peace."
“We hope that a lot of other people feel the same,” the vice mayor told WHRO.
