Country music superstar Tim McGraw is telling the world, in song, that he doesn’t know where Portland is.

That could be a good thing.

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A new song by country superstar Tim McGraw, left, has lyrics that ask where Portland is, but he should know – McGraw has been to Maine several times and just played a concert in May at Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion in Bangor. The Associated Press

McGraw’s latest album, “Sundown Heaven Town,” came out Tuesday and features a track called “Portland, Maine.” The catchy ballad is a breakup song, and in it McGraw sings that his former lover has left for Portland, but that’s fine by him. He repeats the phrases “Portland, Maine, I don’t know where that is” and “I don’t want to know.”

The lines aren’t exactly a ringing endorsement of Portland’s charms. On the other hand, just getting the words “Portland, Maine” into a pop song title is a big deal, especially when they’re sung by someone who has had more than 50 Top Ten country hits over the past 20 years. And 25 of his songs have gone to No. 1.

“I was so excited when I heard about this, but then I was a little disappointed when he kept singing he didn’t know where it is,” said Lynn Tillotson, president of the Greater Portland Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Still, it’s amazing publicity. We might start a Facebook campaign saying something like ‘Tim McGraw doesn’t know where Portland, Maine, is, do you?’ ”

Tillotson intends to reach out to McGraw’s management and invite the singer and his family, including wife and fellow country star Faith Hill, to come here and tour the city. And he’s likely to get other similar offers from local civic boosters.

“Well, we certainly think that whoever it is that broke Tim’s heart made a fantastic choice in coming to Portland,” said Jessica Grondin, a spokeswoman for the city. “And while we’re pretty sure that Tim does indeed know where Portland is, the mayor would be more than happy to take him on a personal tour the next time he’s in the area.”

There’s no telling how big the song might get, or how many folks will be singing “Portland, Maine” in their cars, in elevators, at the grocery store.

Billboard magazine’s review of the album said of “Portland, Maine”: “It’s a powerful lyric about a man who is caught between what is easier and what is the right thing to do. Could be in the running for the (Country Music Association) single of the year in 2015.”

Grondin said she found out about the song because she follows the words “Portland, Maine” on social media. She’s not aware of any other pop songs using the city as a title. However, the city-and-state name has appeared in the lyrics of songs by a couple of other major artists over the years.

Jackson Browne’s 1977 song “Nothing But Time” begins with the line, “Rolling down 295 out of Portland, Maine.” The song is broadly about his life on the road as a touring musician, and specifically about leaving Portland for the next gig in New Jersey.

The 1980 J. Geils Band song “No Anchovies Please” begins with the line “This is the story of a young couple in Portland, Maine.” It’s a weird, spoken-word piece about a woman caught up in international intrigue and bizarre science experiments after calling a phone number she found in a can of anchovies. If features the line “That bowling ball, it’s my wife!”

What inspired McGraw’s song is unclear. He certainly does know where Portland is. McGraw, 47, has been to Maine several times since first hitting the big time in 1994 with his album “Not a Moment Too Soon.” In fact, he just played a concert in May at Darling’s Waterfront Pavilion in Bangor.

But he did not write “Portland, Maine.” It was penned by singer-songwriters Abe Stoklasa of Nashville, Tennessee, and Donovan Woods of Canada. Neither they nor McGraw could be reached for comment Wednesday.

The song doesn’t give many clues to its use of Portland in the title. It starts with the singer saying that he doesn’t want to be “talking on the phone every night, 6 p.m., which time zone, yours or mine?” He asks his former sweetie to “just agree, this is it.” Then he goes on to sing about how he won’t worry about who she’s with or where she is.

And to prove his point, he sings over and over, “Portland, Maine, I don’t know where that is.” Both Portland and Maine are mentioned at least nine times each during the song.

Portland country station WPOR (101.9) FM posted the song on its website, and reaction has been mixed. Some people who posted comments said they don’t get what the song is about. Another said it wasn’t the best publicity for the city. Others made the point that they don’t want to know where his exes are, whether it’s Portland or any other city.

But the city in the song is Portland, and the song is catchy.

One thing is clear: Right now, there are country music fans across the country on the verge of getting the words “Portland, Maine” stuck in their heads.

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