Freeways and interstates in music
BeachBumInDa650
interstate numbers in their songs. Here's what I can think of, off the top of
my head.
Ludacris mentions the 285 around Atlanta in "Act a Fool!" and at least 2 of his
other songs.
C-Bo, a notorious rapper with a criminal record, mentions I-80 in the Bay Area
in the chorus of one of his songs, talking about driving on I-80 with the
ladies.
Jay-Z features several interstate BGS signs and freeway scenes in a couple of
music videos.
I think it's E-40 who features the I-580 shields, and a map of I-580 through
Oakland in one of his songs. He does this about 7 or 8 times throughout the
video.
Freeway is an actual east coast rapper with growing popularity; one of his
songs is on the Bad Boys 2 soundtrack, and he already has a couple of big hits
that were on the radio over the past year+.
Notorious BIG mentions something about crusing on the freeway, the NYC on his
"Going Back to Cali" song....wonder if he was talking about a specific freeway
or not??
-Brent
Jay Maynard
>For Hip-Hop and Rap music, I've noticed numerous artists mentioning freeway or
>interstate numbers in their songs. Here's what I can think of, off the top of
>my head.
Then there's Chucklehead's A(flat) Traffic Jam, with the chorus:
Tell me, do you know the best way?
Do I have to go to the Cross Bronx Expressway?
Tell me, do you know the best way?
Do I have to go to the Cross Bronx Expressway?
It won't happen, see? (Why's that?)
We'll do the Tappan Zee
It won't happen, see? (Why's that?)
We'll do the Tappan Zee
It won't happen, see? (Why's that?)
We'll do the Tappan Zee
It won't happen, see? (Why's that?)
GET ME OUT OF NEW JERSEY!
I've thought that last line a few times myself, usually on NJ-495...
RLDean
that I've ever listened to. Back in the 80's and 90's we catered parties and
banquets at our volunteer firehouse as our prime fundraiser. Quite a few
times at the end of the night the DJ would be requested by the "hard core"
crowd still there to play the I-95 song. Oh well, the people hosting the
party were paying us a few thousand dollars for the catering, bar and hall
rental, so let them enjoy their night.
Rich Dean
Butler NJ
Nick14578
Memphis.
Though not a freeway, Vanilla Ice makes a reference to Florida highway A1A in
"Ice Ice Baby".
There was a country music group called Highway 101.
On Gary Allan's "Smoke Rings in the Dark" album there's a song called "Don't
Tell Mama" about a man who dies in a drunk-driving accident. It begins with the
line, "I was headed north on Highway 5" and Gary is from California... could he
be referring to I-5?
Thomas Smith
and I-44.
Tom Smith
"BeachBumInDa650" <beachbu...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030827165752...@mb-m16.aol.com...
Doug Krause
I'm not sure if any of Imperial Highway is freeway, but
Randy Newman mentions it in "I Love LA" (along with
Century Boulevard, Victory Boulevard, Santa Monica
Boulevard, and Sixth Street).
Doug Krause
"Route 66", of course.
I am NOT Gene Wood!
Don't forget Travis Tritt's "Modern Day Bonnie & Clyde" -- "And it's a
long way to Richmond, going north on (I)-95"
And I believe "Convoy" refers to I-40 or I-44 or something.
A couple of songs by Da Yoopers (http://dayoopers.com) refer to M- and
US-highways, including:
* "Cruisin' and Boozin'" -- M-28
* "Big Truck" -- US-41
* "I Don't Wanna Glow" refers indirectly to M-28, specifically the
Seney stretch.
How about movies that specifically mention highways by number? Here's
one:
* "Escanaba in da Moonlight" mentions M-35.
Thomas Smith
Tom Smith
"Doug Krause" <dkr...@ratcage.com> wrote in message
news:3f4d4d2e$0$93322$45be...@newscene.com...
Thomas Smith
Tom Smith
"I am NOT Gene Wood!" <wachov...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:c0697d58.03082...@posting.google.com...
Harry Sachz
> And there's "Walking in Memphis" where they mention Union Ave.
Once, I heard some shitty country song that mentioned "Highway 41."
I also saw some country video the other day (luckily for me the sound was
off) that had a cutout US 70 shield hanging on the wall.
Old country was cool, new country is atrocious.
--
All I see is racist faces
Misplaced hate makes disgrace the racist
Burn Gum! It Melts!
<thomas....@worldnet.att.net-NO-SPAM> said:
>And there's "Walking in Memphis" where they mention Union Ave.
When I was in high school the phrase "walking in Memphis" was a
euphemism for masturbation.
--
I think. Therefore, I am not a conservative!
----- http://members.iglou.com/bandit ------
Check out my blog blogga blog at http://bandit73.pitas.com
Say NO to Ernie "Hey Bert" Fletcher! Vote for the other bozo!
Better yet, don't vote at all! It just encourages the jerks!
Rte66man
"... the Turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston..."
Rte66man
Jay Maynard
>James Taylor mentions the MassPike in "Sweet Baby James"
>"... the Turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston..."
Then there's one that is so obvious I didn't think of it till just now: Bob
Dylan's Highway 61, commemorating (?) the highway on which he had his
near-fatal motorcycle crash.
Anyone else out there hear Heywood Banks' Inerstat3 80, Iowa? 40-odd
seconds, and, according to my roommate who's driven it (I haven't, for any
great distance), totally accurate.
Tulsarama
Del Reeves' 1965 number "Girl on the Billboard" mentions Rt 66 "from Chicago to
St Louis".
Rick Mattioni
Tulsa
zeno...@mindspring.com
"BeachBumInDa650" <beachbu...@aol.com> wrote:
How about the song by the group "America", "Ventura Highway"?
Not sure which highway it is referring to though but it is in California
somewhere...
See web site about song here
Rshedd
<< Once, I heard some shitty country song that mentioned "Highway 41." >>
In "Ramblin' Man," one of the biggest hits of the Allman Brothers Band, you'll
find these lines:
"And I was born in the ba-ack seat of a
Greyhound bus
Rollin' down Highway 41."
I also think of the Bob Seger song that includes a line about cruising Woodward
Avenue, and of course the Jan & Dean song where the Little Old Lady from
Pasadena is praised as the "terror of Colorado Boulevard!"
As for freeways (the original subject), I can only think of general references
to the Los Angeles freeways in songs such as the Eagles' "Old '55,"
Dionne Warwick's "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," and some song by Joni
Mitchell.
Bob Shedd
Denver, Colorado
Jay Maynard
>of course the Jan & Dean song where the Little Old Lady from
>Pasadena is praised as the "terror of Colorado Boulevard!"
Don't forget the Animaniacs cartoon set to this song...while Slappy
Squirrel's Viper, as pictured, is hardly super-stock, it's still a fun one.
william lynch
at zeno...@mindspring.com wrote on 8/27/03 8:48 PM:
101 in the San Fernando Valley, headed toward Ventura County.
Nicole-o-matic
"A Sorta Fairytale" and also calling it the Ventura, and I think that
more songs from that album which describes a journey all over the
United States may mention certain roads every so often.
beachbu...@aol.com (BeachBumInDa650) wrote in message news:<20030827165752...@mb-m16.aol.com>...
Chris Sampang
>"A Sorta Fairytale" and also calling it the Ventura,
US 101 from the Santa Barbara/Ventura County line to CA 170/CA 134 in the San
Fernando Valley is the Ventura Freeway; the older surface street routing in
most of this area (especially east of Sherman Oaks, where it once was BUSINESS
101) is Ventura Boulevard.
(The Ventura Freeway actually continues east of the interchange on Route 134.)
- Chris
Doug
songs--most notably in "Southbound 35." I think there's an I-35
shield on one of his CD cases.
beachbu...@aol.com (BeachBumInDa650) wrote in message news:<20030827165752...@mb-m16.aol.com>...
> For Hip-Hop and Rap music, I've noticed numerous artists mentioning freeway or
> interstate numbers in their songs. Here's what I can think of, off the top of
> my head.
> ...
Robert Cruickshank
> interstate numbers in their songs. Here's what I can think of, off the top of
> my head.
Radiohead mentions Interstate 5 in "Maquiladora".
Sir Mix-a-Lot mentions "Interstate 10 straight to Houston" in "A
Rapper's Reputation", and "Hit I-5 with the dope cassette" in "My
Hooptie".
Someone mentioned Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'" in which he talks about
Ventura Boulevard; remember that he opens that song with a description
of a girl who has "a freeway runnin' through the yard".
--
Robert I. Cruickshank
roadgeek, historian, progressive
Doug Krause
Harry Sachz <watuzi...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>I also saw some country video the other day (luckily for me the sound was
>off) that had a cutout US 70 shield hanging on the wall.
Kind of off on a tangent, but didn't the Patridges have a number
of Interstate and US Shields in their garage?
SloRide9430
John Mellancamp's song "Little Pink Houses", which has a line about "He's got
an interstate runnin' thru his front yard...."
Safe truckin' !
Slo
Geoff Hatchard
The B-52s (of Athens, GA) mention the Atlanta Highway in the song "Love
Shack"
Geoff
I am NOT Gene Wood!
> Thomas Smith wrote:
> > And there's "Walking in Memphis" where they mention Union Ave.
>
...um, "I Don't even know your name" by Alan Jackson
>
> I also saw some country video the other day (luckily for me the sound was
> off) that had a cutout US 70 shield hanging on the wall.
>
> Old country was cool, new country is atrocious.
Depends on which song. There's some cruddy oldies, and some good new songs.
I am NOT Gene Wood!
LOL... how the heck did we go from MTR to misc.animaniacs?! (I sorta
like Animaniacs... specially Minerva Mink.)
Jay Maynard
wrote:
(alt.tv.animaniacs, actually.)
That's because Animaniacs references all sorts of cultural icons. There are
two cartoons in the series set to unaltered musical numbers from elsewhere;
the other is episode 92's Dot the Macadamia Nut, set to the Macarena (and,
if you're like me and hate that overdone piece of pop musical drek, the
cartoon is a nice send-up).
I am NOT Gene Wood!
Thanks for the correction, <Paul Lynde> beaver face </PL> .
> That's because Animaniacs references all sorts of cultural icons. There are
> two cartoons in the series set to unaltered musical numbers from elsewhere;
> the other is episode 92's Dot the Macadamia Nut, set to the Macarena (and,
> if you're like me and hate that overdone piece of pop musical drek, the
> cartoon is a nice send-up).
lol... I've heard of that.
If it was still around, could you imagine their take on the blackout?
(for cartoon takes on the blackout, check out Fox Trot.)
Getting back on-topic, there are a couple songs by Da Yoppers that
mention highways in da U. P.; namely "Cruisin' and Boozin'" which
starts off with "Stuck in a snowbank off M-28..." and "Big Truck"
which mentions US-41.
Chris Bessert
>
> Getting back on-topic, there are a couple songs by Da Yoppers that
> mention highways in da U. P.; namely "Cruisin' and Boozin'" which
> starts off with "Stuck in a snowbank off M-28..." and "Big Truck"
> which mentions US-41.
Yeah. You said that yesterday in this very thread. Apparently it was
so important you had to remind us less than 24 hours later.
Later,
Chris
--
Chris Bessert
Bess...@aol.com
HooeyBrown
A couple of years ago, Rodney Crowell recorded a tune called Highway 17. It
was about a crook who stole some money, buried the $$$ beside Hwy 17, only to
discover upon his release from prison.. they built an INTERSTATE over 17 and
buried his money!
"But someday I'm sure you're gonna know the cost..... that for everything you
win there's something lost." - Bob McDill and Dan Seals.
"Murder's been committed down on Music Row." - Larry CORDLE & Larry SHELL.
HooeyBrown
Turnpike..."
Jimmy Buffet has an album titled "A1A".
I am NOT Gene Wood!
> Yeah. You said that yesterday in this very thread. Apparently it was
> so important you had to remind us less than 24 hours later.
>
> Later,
> Chris
Oh sure, like you've never accidentally repeated something in the same thread... :-P
Magyar
"BeachBumInDa650" <beachbu...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030827165752...@mb-m16.aol.com...
> For Hip-Hop and Rap music, I've noticed numerous artists mentioning
freeway or
> interstate numbers in their songs. Here's what I can think of, off the
top of
> my head.
The 70s band, The Outlaws, in the song Breaker, Breaker start with:
Heading down I Seven Five...
Dire Straits sings about Telegraph Rd (for 20 mins)
Sandor G
Kurumi
the specific complaints roadgeeks have: breaks the rules; there is no
I-38, etc... and it frustrates them so much the song ends with "Dammit!"
MP3 at:
http://herbie.ddv.com/~mrad/mp3/The_Portuguese_Sailors/
--
Kurumi http://kurumi.com/
3di's, Conn. Roads, maps, interchanges
"That dog of yours is so much rage." -- Guy, the maītre d'
Michael G.
> And there's "Walking in Memphis" where they mention Union Ave.
>
I thought it also mentions Beale (St.) too?
-Michael
Thomas Smith
cars on the New Jersey Turnpike." In "The Boxer", they make reference to
New York City's 7th Avenue, and then there is the 59th Street Bridge Song
(aka "Feeling Groovy")
Tom Smith
"HooeyBrown" <hooey...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030828201917...@mb-m25.aol.com...
Thomas Smith
Tom Smith
"Michael G." <bulld...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:c1b4fca6.03082...@posting.google.com...
Eric Opperman
Yes, "With my feet 10 feet off of Beale"
--
Thanks for your time,
Eric Opperman
"I've got a job to do, and that's part of it. I've got a special feeling
for Sidney, and I will in 20 years--unless he blows up my house or
something." -- Baltimore Orioles manager Mike Hargrove on telling Sidney
Ponson he'd been traded to the Giants.
Chris
news:a57d66c7.0308...@posting.google.com...
| I remember hearing something about U.S. 101 mentioned by Tori Amos in
| "A Sorta Fairytale" and also calling it the Ventura, and I think that
| more songs from that album which describes a journey all over the
| United States may mention certain roads every so often.
I think she makes direct reference to the 101 as well. I think this is the
only song on the album that she makes a direct reference to the road she's
taking though.
That entire album, _Scarlet's Walk_ has a fold out map of the US with all
the roads the character takes on her around the country tour. It is quite
detailed. She does take a lot of roads that are completely off the beaten
path that some people here would probably find kindof interesting. And
honestly, the album does tell some sort of convoluted story. At least the
songs sound like they should be from the regions she's singing about anyway.
Chris
Grover
>and I-44.
"Convoy" was by C.W. McCall. He also sang "Old Home Filler-up and Keep on-a
Truckin' Cafe" (yes, that's the correct name of the song!) which was popular
in 1974. The first words are
"Well, Interstate 80 we was cutting the fog"
John Cougar Mellencamp, "Pink Houses"
"He's got an Interstate running through his front yard
You know he thinks he's got it so good"
Since Mellencamp is from Bloomington, IN, I assume he is referring to I-65
Bruce Springsteen, "Born to Run"
"Sprung from cages out on Highway Nine
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected
And steppin' out over the line"
Springsteen is from Freehold, NJ, and US-9 does run through it as an
almost-Jersey freeway. I say "almost" because I don't think all the
intersections have jughandles. US-9 used to meet NJ-33 at Freehold Circle
before the bypass was built.
Both Mellencamp and Springsteen have a closeness to their towns, as evidenced
by their songs "Small Town" and "My Hometown" about Bloomington and Freehold
respectively.
This next one doesn't really count, as it was a parody, but when I-71 was being
rebuilt through Columbus, OH in the early 1990s, a radio station recorded this
song for their traffic reports (sung to the tune of "The Longest Time" by Billy
Joel);
Oh, oh-oh-oh
Stuck on 71
Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
For the longest time.
(plus other verses)
zeno...@mindspring.com
ezA3b.118299$0v4.8...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net, "Thomas Smith"
<thomas....@worldnet.att.net-NO-SPAM> wrote:
That song "America" also has the line that mentions Pittsburgh..
"Kathy I said as we bordered a greyhound in Pittsburgh"...
Speaking of Pittsburgh in songs, the beginning of the song "Mississippi
Queen" mentions Pittsburgh near its beginning.
Joe Galea
"Magyar" <roa...@copper.net> wrote in message news:3f4d685b_3@newsfeed...
I'm assuming it's not about the 6-8 lane alignment of US-24 in SE
Michigan/NW Ohio.
John Taber
>
> John Cougar Mellencamp, "Pink Houses"
>
> "He's got an Interstate running through his front yard
> You know he thinks he's got it so good"
He grew up in Seymour, where US 50 crosses I-65. Most of the location
shots from the video were filmed in or around Seymour.
Magyar
"Grover" <bbwma...@aol.comnospam> wrote in message
news:20030829140542...@mb-m06.aol.com...
> >In the classic country-western song, "Convoy", they make reference to
I-10
> >and I-44.
>
> "Convoy" was by C.W. McCall. He also sang "Old Home Filler-up and Keep
on-a
> Truckin' Cafe" (yes, that's the correct name of the song!) which was
popular
> in 1974. The first words are
> "Well, Interstate 80 we was cutting the fog"
Evidently, C.W. McCall also recorded, a rather campy, tribute to the Lincoln
Highway. Someone played a recording of it at the Lincoln Highway National
meet back in June
> This next one doesn't really count, as it was a parody, but when I-71 was
being
> rebuilt through Columbus, OH in the early 1990s, a radio station recorded
this
> song for their traffic reports (sung to the tune of "The Longest Time" by
Billy
> Joel);
>
> Oh, oh-oh-oh
> Stuck on 71
> Oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
> For the longest time.
> (plus other verses)
Most likely the Morning Zoo from WNCI (97.9). They've been doing spoof for
the longest time of anyone in Columbus radio.
Sandor G
Magyar
"Joe Galea" <jgal...@ufl.edu> wrote in message
news:biojtb$ihi$1...@spnode25.nerdc.ufl.edu...
Honestly, I don't know. Maybe someone from Great Brittan can tell us where
Mark Knofler was talking about.
Sandor G
Magyar
> news:20030827165752...@mb-m16.aol.com...
> > For Hip-Hop and Rap music, I've noticed numerous artists mentioning
> freeway or
> > interstate numbers in their songs. Here's what I can think of, off the
> top of
> > my head.
> > -Brent
Another song to add to the list
Electric Ave. by Eddie Grant.
So where is Electric Ave (Jamaica?)?
Sandor G
Thomas Smith
"It took me four days to hitchhike from Saginaw."
Tom Smith
Daniel Westfall
Kingdom Come's 2nd album "In Your Face" (has a huge speaker on the
cover) there's one tune titled "Highway 6." It looks to be written
about the deadly US 6. Also another Sir Mix-A-Lot goodie "Posse On
Broadway" makes reference to various streets in his hometown of Seattle.
Of course, you can find all kinds of references to the Seattle area on
various Mix-A-Lot tracks. One final one would be Bon Jovi's "Dry
County." No real highway references but Jon did get the inspiration to
write it on a cross-country motorcycle trip. Even he's a roadgeek. Are
you posting on mtr tonight Jon?:-)
Daniel "Dino" Westfall
"...nothing is trivial."
-Brandon Lee
The Crow
November 9, 2001
Brandon Gorte
<snip>
Here's a few more:
"Lake Shore Drive" by Aliotta, Haynes, and Jeremiah specifically about _the_
Lake Shore Drive in Chicago
"It starts way up north at Hollywood, water on the driver's side..."
"Take Me Back To Chicago" by Chicago mentions Rush Street, and a few others
as well as the South Side, and "street corners and Tastee Freeze"
"I'd Do It Again" by Gordon Lightfoot mentions Highway 401 (obviously
Ontario 401 since he's from Ontario, IIRC).
"You Don't Mess Around With Jim" by Jim Croce mentions "the King of 42nd
Street".
-Brandon
James C. Schul
The 1981 song "You're The Reason God Made Oklahoma" by David Frizzell
and Shelly West mentions the Santa Monica Freeway. The next year they
released "Another Honky Tonk Night on Broadway," which I presume is a
reference to Broadway in New York City since New York is mentioned in
the first verse.
About three years ago IIRC Willie Nelson released a song about a route
109 (which I mentioned on MTR)--what was that about?
Herb Alpert had the instrumental 1982 hit "Route 101", which I presume
is about US 101 since he was born in a state in which US 101 passes
(California).
Bob Seger in "Turn The Page" sings about "a long and lonesome highway,
east of Omaha".
In 1979 Blackfoot released the song "Highway Song".
Oh, and on a TV commercial a few years back was a song that went
"Highway 57, Pump girls and dinettes!" (What was that all about?)
Lee Greenwood sang "Dixie Road" in 1985.
Shenandoah sang "The Church on Cumberland Road" in 1989.
In the Searchers' 1964 song "Love Potion Number Nine" the lyrics "but
when I kissed the cop down at Thirty-Fourth and Vine, he broke my
little bottle of Love Potion Number Nine" are played.
Frank Sinatra in his 1957 song "Chicago" (which was written in 1922)
sings about "State Street, that great street".
The Grateful Dead's 1971 hit "Truckin'" has the lyrics "Busted down on
Bourbon Street". (I presume that's the one in New Orleans.)
That's all I can think of at the moment.
c m martin23
> Texas Music artist Pat Green mentions I-35 quite frequently in his
> songs--most notably in "Southbound 35." I think there's an I-35
> shield on one of his CD cases.
>
>
> beachbu...@aol.com (BeachBumInDa650) wrote in message news:<20030827165752...@mb-m16.aol.com>...
> > For Hip-Hop and Rap music, I've noticed numerous artists mentioning freeway or
> > interstate numbers in their songs. Here's what I can think of, off the top of
On the first album by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, the song
"American Girl" mentions "441", presumably in Florida.
Steve Carras
> For Hip-Hop and Rap music, I've noticed numerous artists mentioning freeway or
> interstate numbers in their songs. Here's what I can think of, off the top of
>
> Ludacris mentions the 285 around Atlanta in "Act a Fool!" and at least 2 of his
> other songs.
>
> C-Bo, a notorious rapper with a criminal record, mentions I-80 in the Bay Area
> in the chorus of one of his songs, talking about driving on I-80 with the
> ladies.
>
> Jay-Z features several interstate BGS signs and freeway scenes in a couple of
> music videos.
>
> I think it's E-40 who features the I-580 shields, and a map of I-580 through
> Oakland in one of his songs. He does this about 7 or 8 times throughout the
> video.
>
> Freeway is an actual east coast rapper with growing popularity; one of his
> songs is on the Bad Boys 2 soundtrack, and he already has a couple of big hits
> that were on the radio over the past year+.
>
> Notorious BIG mentions something about crusing on the freeway, the NYC on his
> "Going Back to Cali" song....wonder if he was talking about a specific freeway
> or not??
>
>
> -Brent
Wow, no mention of "Ventura Highway" by America, or the old chesnut
"Route 66" by Nat King Cole (or the 1960s TV theme)?
Pat OConnell
> Haven't seen ALL of the posts in this thread, but I haven't seen mention of
> John Mellancamp's song "Little Pink Houses", which has a line about "He's got
> an interstate runnin' thru his front yard...."
The notorious pink house overlooked I-70 in Indianapolis on the east side.
However, the owner repainted it to some other color a short time after the
song came out.
Simon and Garfunkel referred to "counting the cars on the New Jersey
Turnpike" while riding on a bus in the the song "America."
Then, there's the country song "Convoy" which has lots of highway
references, but I'll leave that research to someone who likes that kind of
music.
--
Pat O'Connell
Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footprints,
Kill nothing but vandals...
MCT
"Sprung from cages out on Highway Nine
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected
And steppin' out over the line"
Springsteen is from Freehold, NJ, and US-9 does run through it as an
almost-Jersey freeway. I say "almost" because I don't think all the
intersections have jughandles. US-9 used to meet NJ-33 at Freehold
Circle before the bypass was built....Both Mellencamp and Springsteen
have a closeness to their towns, as evidenced by their songs "Small
Town" and "My Hometown" about Bloomington and Freehold respectively.>>
There are street and highway references in a number of Springsteen
songs, although that doesn't necessarily mark him as a roadgeek; his
song lyrics are often very detailed in other ways as well (I've seen
trivia quizzes as to which Springsteen song mentions specific place
names, makes of car, or womens' first names). A few other
street/highway references from his music:
In the song "Jungleland", Bruce sings, "there's an opera out on the
turnpike" -- presumably the New Jersey Turnpike.
On his album, "The Ghost Of Tom Joad", there is a song called "Highway
29".
On the "Born In The U.S.A." album, there is song called "Working On The
Highway", in which the narrator is on a chain-gang that is working on
"95" in "Charlotte County". Are there any states where this
route/county combination appears?
In his song, "Spirits In The Night", on his first album, Bruce refers to
a "Greasy Lake" that is off of "Route 88". I understand that there has
been some debate among his NJ fans as to the place that he is referring
to. There actually is a NJ 88 in the shore region, but it's unclear if
the lake he sings of is actually near NJ 88 -- it may not really exist,
or it may be a composite of different places in the region that
Springsteen was familar with. It's been suggested that "Route 88" may
really refer to Exit 88 off of the Garden State Parkway.
Bruce also has a song called "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out". He isn't
talking about Tenth Avenue in Manhattan, as many assume, but about a
Tenth Avenue in one of the NJ beach towns in the area where he grew up
(Asbury Park?). This town apparently had streets on a grid system with
numbered avenues in one direction and lettered streets in the other.
IIRC, the story goes something like this: in the early days, Springsteen
and his band used to practice at a house where a member of the band
lived (with his parents, I think). The house was located at the corner
of E Street and Tenth Avenue -- hence the "E Street Band" and the song
title "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out".
MCT
"Mississippi Queen" mentions Pittsburgh near its beginning.>>
I always thought that he was saying Vicksburg, as in Vicksburg, MS.
That would seem to make a lot more sense in the context of the song (the
title character is a "cajun lady" from "around Louisiana way". Yet she
lives..."way down around Pittsburgh"?).
Nathan Perry
establishment of some kind on Route 9. I mean, come on, didn't anyone
open a map for twenty seconds?
Great musical, though....
Greg Lang
Chrome wheels, fuel injected and steppin' out over the line
Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen
Greg Lang
heading for the shore
A thought just then occurred to me
I never thought before
I've been a lot of places
Seen pictures of the rest
But of all the places I can think of
I like Jersey best.
I Like Jersey Best
by Joseph Edward Cosgriff
John David Galt
> Do you consider Lake Shore Drive to be a freeway? It has an entire song about it
> by Aliotta, Haynes and Jeremiah.
Parts of it certainly are, except the bottom level.
Chicago's Loop is living proof that it will always be possible to build our
way out of congestion.
David Simmons
"The End Of The Tour":
Never to part since the day we met
Out on Interstate 91
I was bent metal you were a flaming wreck
When we kissed at the overpass
I was sailing along with the people
Driving themselves to distraction inside me
Then came a knock on the door which was odd
And the picture abruptly changed
...
David
--
David Simmons
"Today is a fine day for science!" -- Dexter
David Jensen
wrote in <3F567097...@diogenes.sacramento.ca.us>:
And into further congestion.
Exile on Market Street
> Travelling down the Turnpike
> heading for the shore
He must be close to NYC, then. Or at least north of Turnpike Exit 10.
> A thought just then occurred to me
> I never thought before
> I've been a lot of places
> Seen pictures of the rest
> But of all the places I can think of
> I like Jersey best.
Overdeveloped much of it may be, but the New Jersey shore is probably
the finest shoreline in the East.
--
-----------Sandy Smith, Exile on Market Street, Philadelphia-----------
Managing Editor, _Penn Current_ / smi...@pobox.upenn.edu
215.898.1423 / fax 215.898.1203 / http://pobox.upenn.edu/~smiths/
Got news? Got events? Got stories? Send 'em to cur...@pobox.upenn.edu
If you see this line, the opinions expressed are mine, not Penn's
"Work is just like high school. Only the desks are bigger."
-----------Jack Dougherty, author of "Most Likely to Succeed at Work"--
Exile on Market Street
We got a budget for artwork in our offices a couple of years back, and
Libby (then the editor) asked each of us to choose some artwork for the
walls.
I chose the CTA's reproduction of a 1928 Chicago Rapid Transit poster
advertising the Loop 'L', showing two trains gliding past each other
above a crowded street.
The top of the poster bears the legend "Avoid Street Congestion."
IIRC, those streets are still congested.
Greg Lang
Rollin' off on 95.
With a redhead ridin' shotgun,
And a pistol by my side.
Tearin' down that highway,
Like a modern day Bonnie and Clyde.
- Travis Tritt
David Jensen
wrote in <bj68s9$c8i$1...@netnews.upenn.edu>:
>John David Galt wrote:
>
>> Scott in Aztlan wrote:
>>
>>>Do you consider Lake Shore Drive to be a freeway? It has an entire song about it
>>>by Aliotta, Haynes and Jeremiah.
>>
>>
>> Parts of it certainly are, except the bottom level.
>>
>> Chicago's Loop is living proof that it will always be possible to build our
>> way out of congestion.
>
>We got a budget for artwork in our offices a couple of years back, and
>Libby (then the editor) asked each of us to choose some artwork for the
>walls.
>
>I chose the CTA's reproduction of a 1928 Chicago Rapid Transit poster
>advertising the Loop 'L', showing two trains gliding past each other
>above a crowded street.
>
>The top of the poster bears the legend "Avoid Street Congestion."
Cool.
>IIRC, those streets are still congested.
Let's hope so. And the sidewalks.
After being persuaded to read Caro, Jacobs and Huxtable on NYC about 30
years ago, I was talking to the friend who persuaded me and he pointed
out (borrowed and blended) that there isn't enough parking unless there
is too much, the sidewalks are crowded unless they are empty and it's
not possible to have the right amount of street traffic. Still, few
people avoid Fifth Avenue or Times Square because it has too many
pedestrians and it takes too long to walk anywhere around there.
I can find lots of places, even in central cities that are easy to get
around in. They are general best avoided.
Exile on Market Street
> Let's hope so. And the sidewalks.
>
> After being persuaded to read Caro, Jacobs and Huxtable on NYC about 30
> years ago,
And what was your take on their assessments?
I'm sure you're aware that among some planners, including many who still
probably honor her in the breach more than the observance, Jacobs' first
book has the status of Holy Writ, and that Caro's book has as many
detractors as it does fans.
I was talking to the friend who persuaded me and he pointed
> out (borrowed and blended) that there isn't enough parking unless there
> is too much, the sidewalks are crowded unless they are empty and it's
> not possible to have the right amount of street traffic. Still, few
> people avoid Fifth Avenue or Times Square because it has too many
> pedestrians and it takes too long to walk anywhere around there.
As usual, the Sage of Baseball said it most succinctly:
"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."
--Yogi Berra
On a slightly more serious note: Can I take the foregoing as an
admission that you have gone into the "stop worrying and learn to love
congestion" crowd?
BigmikeCU94
>From: sim...@usenetmail.davidsimmons.com (David Simmons)
>Date: 09/03/2003 8:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time
>Message-id: <3f568915$1...@omega.dimensional.com>
Counting the cars on the New Jersey Turnpike...
They've all come... to look for America...
--Simon and Garfunkel
For some reason it seems like the Turnpike is the most often mentioned roadway
in song. At least they could have picked a little bit more of a scenic road
like the Parkway...
Mike Rapolas
David Jensen
>David Jensen wrote:
>
>> Let's hope so. And the sidewalks.
>>
>> After being persuaded to read Caro, Jacobs and Huxtable on NYC about 30
>> years ago,
>
>And what was your take on their assessments?
For polemicists they are very good writers who had identified serious
problems that were being ignored by the rebuilders of the time. None
were balanced or fair, the watchwords of today, but they got their facts
generally correct. I always prefer good advocacy writing to bland
'reporting'. Good writers care about their subject and these folks all
did.
>I'm sure you're aware that among some planners, including many who still
>probably honor her in the breach more than the observance, Jacobs' first
>book has the status of Holy Writ, and that Caro's book has as many
>detractors as it does fans.
I have a friend who went to Urban and Regional Planning School at
UW-Madison around 1980. His experience there was that Jacobs didn't even
exist, as far as they were concerned, yes, because she was not an
academic, but also, it seemed to me, in great part, because they still
regarded her as a reactionary. Many of the faculty there were among the
fans of urban renewal or had been taught by the urban renewal folks.
Jacobs was an enemy of progress.
They hadn't quite grasped that different urban characteristics need
different kinds of progress, nor had yet they grasped that 'urban
renewal' -- the massive bulldozing of square miles of a city to be
replaced with towers in a park (or the next generation), was
antithetical to that kind of a successful city.
While Jacobs and her group were fighting Moses, the Encyclopedia
Britannica Book of the Year throughout the sixties was running articles
extolling the wonderful redevelopment of a massive swath of SE in DC. I
don't recall hearing that that multibillion dollar investment has paid
off, but Jacobs and her pals did manage to 'ruin the neighborhood' by
keeping it livable and, as a consequence, making it too expensive for
average families to live in.
Caro is a bit obsessive. Apparently, from the reviews of his Johnson
books, he was just warming up with Robert Moses, though even in that
book, Moses comes through as a pragmatic liberal who really cares about
how he is making life better for the citizens whose taxes are paying his
paycheck. The fact that he doesn't necessarily understand whether he
gets it right is the tragic component -- the Greeks would have written a
play about Moses and would have been just a fair as Caro.
> I was talking to the friend who persuaded me and he pointed
>> out (borrowed and blended) that there isn't enough parking unless there
>> is too much, the sidewalks are crowded unless they are empty and it's
>> not possible to have the right amount of street traffic. Still, few
>> people avoid Fifth Avenue or Times Square because it has too many
>> pedestrians and it takes too long to walk anywhere around there.
>
>As usual, the Sage of Baseball said it most succinctly:
>
>"Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."
>
>--Yogi Berra
>
>On a slightly more serious note: Can I take the foregoing as an
>admission that you have gone into the "stop worrying and learn to love
>congestion" crowd?
Not exactly.
I've never considered myself a 'build it at all costs' kind of guy, but
I don't accept the notion that in a fast growing metro area the traffic
will somehow magically sort itself out, or that highways built to be
adequate in 1960 will be sufficient in 2010. New York's carelessness in
maintaining its subways and freeways almost destroyed the nearly
indestructible Manhattan economy and started to drive companies out of
town.
Packing lots of people into a small area makes the local transportation
system expensive, whether by highway or train. New York has increased
travel miles in the city in the past fifty years, but has no new track
miles and little increase in capacity and highways in the city are
slower and more congested. In particular, the failure to build the
Second Ave Subway, integrate the PATH trains with the rest of the
trains, extend subway services to LGA and JFK, and improve other Queens
subway services drove people into cars, but the city was ignoring the
roads at the same time.
The only thing that kept the city from permanent gridlock was that Long
Island, including Brooklyn and Queens, had lost huge numbers of
manufacturing, warehouse, and port jobs in part because the road system
was obsolete and freight rail doesn't meet modern needs adequately. Now,
it is certainly true that Long Island was going to lose some of those
jobs anyway. The south side of Chicago, which doesn't have those
problems has also been hit with huge job losses in those economic areas,
but it seems that Chicago cares more about it than New York does.
Success will always breed some congestion, but the congestion shouldn't
be choking off the last of the success. It's my guess that there needs
to be the equivalent of at least two 4+4 freeways, with adequate
improvements in the current roads on the island, connecting Long Island
with the mainland. This could include a cross sound bridge, a tunnel
under Manhattan, a second bridge on the Narrows, all politically
sensitive, but all needed by the vast working class or lower-middle
class of Brooklyn, Queens and its neighbors. The subway improvements are
still needed, including another Hudson River transit tube. The FDR needs
to be upgraded, another road tunnel to New Jersey is needed. Even if all
of this is done, there will still be congestion on the trains and the
roads, but the city wouldn't be choking itself. It is now.
We really need to get back at least to the infrastructure investment
levels we were at in the fifties and sixties (or for NYC -- subway and
highway -- prewar) for the next few decades. Building infrastructure is
occasionally very disruptive, and we should not be as cavalier as we
were half a century ago about the impact on people and the
neighborhoods, but we have learned what has less impact and should work
with that. We also need to learn to spread out our transportation
targets better, eg. Chicago's Loop should not be enouraged to add office
space, but new office areas should be well served by a variety of
transportation options.
James C. Schul
> They've all come... to look for America...
>
> --Simon and Garfunkel
>
> For some reason it seems like the Turnpike is the most often mentioned roadway
> in song. At least they could have picked a little bit more of a scenic road
> like the Parkway...
>
> Mike Rapolas
I don't recall "Creeque Alley" by the Mamas and Papas being mentioned
in this thread:
Standin' on the Turnpike, thumbin' out to hitchhike,
"Take me to New York right away!"
It is either the Pennsylvania or New Jersey Turnpike because of the
previous two lines:
When Cass was a sophomore, planned to go to Swarthmore
But she changed her mind one day.
Swarthmore is a college in the Philadelphia area.
Magyar
"James C. Schul" <jcs...@ameritech.net> wrote in message
news:c76a44b.03090...@posting.google.com...
Swarthmore is a private (liberal arts?) school in the middle of Delaware Co
(west of Philadelphia).
Of roadgeek note: Swarthmore got the Blue Route (I-476) route altered to run
west of their fine town. And of course, they were among the many who didn't
want I-476 going through altogether.
Sandor G
-334-1374,703-351-0188
>Of roadgeek note: Swarthmore got the Blue Route (I-476) route altered to run
>west of their fine town. And of course, they were among the many who didn't
>want I-476 going through altogether.
And perhaps consequently, there's no sign for the College on the Blue
Route. While the exit is named for the town, there's no reference to the
College as there is for the other colleges along the highway.
--
Adam Fagen \\ afa...@fas.harvard.edu
Harvard University // http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~afagen/
Nathan Perry
"Magyar" <roa...@copper.net> wrote:
> Swarthmore is a private (liberal arts?) school in the middle of Delaware Co
> (west of Philadelphia).
> Of roadgeek note: Swarthmore got the Blue Route (I-476) route altered to run
> west of their fine town. And of course, they were among the many who didn't
> want I-476 going through altogether.
My parents and my brother all attended Swarthmore (which has a Quaker
background, by the way). I visited the campus with said brother in 1987
or so, when the Blue Route opposition was at its height.
MCT
heading for the shore
I never thought before
I've been a lot of places
Seen pictures of the rest
But of all the places I can think of
I like Jersey best.>>
<<Overdeveloped much of it may be, but the New Jersey shore is probably
the finest shoreline in the East.>>
If one were to take in the Jersey Shore while on a roadtrip, what are
some areas to see (whether of roadgeek or general-touristy interest)?
What are areas that should be avoided (nothing to see, places where
you'll just sit in traffic, unsafe roads/areas, etc.?).
Steve
Wildwood to Cape May is good (the farther south the better), and there's
always Atlantic City (just stay to the north and near the beach). Not
much besides that, Sandy Hook is nice, and there are some quiet ocean
communities. In AC, check out the new 446X (Brigantine Connector), and
the parking lots in the middle of the ACE. Other than that, the most
roadgeeky thing is the stretch of the GSP with traffic lights.
--
Steve
GO YANKEES!
Civil Engineering (Course 1) at MIT
Raymond C Martin Jr
> <<Travelling down the Turnpike
> heading for the shore
> A thought just then occurred to me
> I never thought before
> I've been a lot of places
> Seen pictures of the rest
> But of all the places I can think of
> I like Jersey best.>>
Biggest problem with this verse... The Turnpike isn't the road to
take to the shore!!! (its the Parkway... you go down the Turnpike and
you'll be in Delaware before you get to the shore...)
> <<Overdeveloped much of it may be, but the New Jersey shore is probably
> the finest shoreline in the East.>>
>
> If one were to take in the Jersey Shore while on a roadtrip, what are
> some areas to see (whether of roadgeek or general-touristy interest)?
> What are areas that should be avoided (nothing to see, places where
> you'll just sit in traffic, unsafe roads/areas, etc.?).
Route 13 (over the Intracoastal Waterway in Point Pleasant) is an
interesting 'short route' connecting to... nothing.
NJ 36 along the north Jersey shore by Sandy Hook National Recreation
Area is pretty neat, especially with the highlands right near by and
the drawbridge over the Shrewsbury. You really feel out there on the
edge...
Also try NJ 38 over Barnegat Bay. The eastbound bridge is older and
lower with a drawbridge, while westbound is newer and higher and
lacking the draw. Plus it feeds into a semi-freeway bypass around
Seaside Heights on NJ 35.
NJ 72 isn't too interesting except as another high causeway (the
Manahawkin Bay Bridge). Its the only way on or off LBI (Long Beach
Island). For such a long, populated, narrow, dangerous place, I sure
wouldn't want it to be my only way out.
Further south there are a few interesting county toll bridges betweent
the lower islands in Cape May County. And of course, the Atlantic
City Expressway-Brigantine Connector in AC.
Wildwood's beaches are very wide and low, so try there if you want to
be able to wade far out w/out getting to deep. Waves are low.
Island Beach is a gem of native vegetation, the only place like it on
the Jersey Shore. 10,000 years of natural ocean progression and its
still intact, while every other island seems on the edge of washing
into the sea w/ eveyr big storm. (that's what lack of natural
vegetation will do to it). The beaches are narrower and steeper (most
of the sand is in the giant dunes), but you can get deeper in the
water without going so far out, and the waves are better, IMHO.
Never did like Sandy Hook's beaches that much... Too much gravel
versus sand, plus its too close to NYC for comfort...
====
Raymond C Martin Jr
http://www.njfreeways.com/
Kevin Flynn
I second this and would continue north through Stone Harbor, Avalon,
Sea Isle and on up to Ocean City, hugging the shore that is, not on
the GSP.
Also as somneone mentioned above, Island Beach State Park below
Seaside Heights is a wonderful place to visit. Been there both of the
last two summers.
Rich Carlson, N9JIG
("Cry, Cry, Cry was the biggest). The artwork had a CA style US-101
marker.
--
Rich Carlson, N9JIG rich (at) n9jig.com
IL Highways and Scanner page: http://www.n9jig.com
Chicago Area Radio Monitoring Association: http://www.carmachicago.com
In Deo speramus, ceteros omnes observamus
temptation waits
'Six-lane highway running up to my back door
But it won't take me where I want to be
I took the I-95 down to Pensacola'
Even though I-95 doesn't go to Pensacola, US 29 does and US 29's "hidden"
state route is FL 95. Coincidence?
I am NOT Gene Wood!
"Every day at 8 and 5/We all get on 285"
Kevin Robokoff
> nick...@aol.com (Nick14578) wrote in message news:<20030827183743...@mb-m29.aol.com>...
> > The Trisha Yearwood song "Wrong Side of Memphis" mentions I-40. Which leads to
> > Memphis.
> >
> > Though not a freeway, Vanilla Ice makes a reference to Florida highway A1A in
> > "Ice Ice Baby".
> >
> > There was a country music group called Highway 101.
> >
> > On Gary Allan's "Smoke Rings in the Dark" album there's a song called "Don't
> > Tell Mama" about a man who dies in a drunk-driving accident. It begins with the
> > line, "I was headed north on Highway 5" and Gary is from California... could he
> > be referring to I-5?
>
> Don't forget Travis Tritt's "Modern Day Bonnie & Clyde" -- "And it's a
> long way to Richmond, going north on (I)-95"
>
> And I believe "Convoy" refers to I-40 or I-44 or something.
>
Convoy is a roadgeek heaven song. It mentions I-10 and a couple
others, IIRC. From the mid 1970s.
> A couple of songs by Da Yoopers (http://dayoopers.com) refer to M- and
> US-highways, including:
>
> * "Cruisin' and Boozin'" -- M-28
> * "Big Truck" -- US-41
> * "I Don't Wanna Glow" refers indirectly to M-28, specifically the
> Seney stretch.
>
> How about movies that specifically mention highways by number? Here's
> one:
>
> * "Escanaba in da Moonlight" mentions M-35.
HOw about another indirect song called Rusty Chevrolet. Places like
Shopko, Negaunee Copps, and IGA are mentioned and are along US 41/M28.
Kevin
Kevin Robokoff
> There was a country group called Highway 101 with a few hits in the 80's
> ("Cry, Cry, Cry was the biggest). The artwork had a CA style US-101
> marker.
I have that song on tape and like it. Nice photo on the tape cover.
Kevin
Scott M. Kozel
>
> wachov...@yahoo.com (I am NOT Gene Wood!) wrote:
>
> > And I believe "Convoy" refers to I-40 or I-44 or something.
> >
>
> Convoy is a roadgeek heaven song. It mentions I-10 and a couple
> others, IIRC. From the mid 1970s.
We was headed for bear
On 'I-One Oh
Bout a mile out Shakey Town
Well we rolled up Innerstate fourty-four
Like a rocket sled on rails
We just ain't a gonna pay no toll
So we crashed the gate doin 98
I said let them truckers roll,
Ten-Four.
--
Scott M. Kozel Highway and Transportation History Websites
Virginia/Maryland/Washington, D.C. http://www.roadstothefuture.com
Philadelphia and Delaware Valley http://www.pennways.com
RLDean
This discussion is so good that I'm going to take a drive to the Jersey Cape
tomorrow from 167 miles north. It's just a coincidence that it's the time
for the annual New Jersey State Firemen's Association Convention in Wildwood
for the 126th year. We get 25,000 for 3 nights (Thurs-Sat) and another 50,000
who come for at least one day. Those numbers reflect both active and inactive
retired firefighters and their families from the ranks of both the volunteer
and career fire departments of NJ.
Rich Dean
Sparky
> On 27 Aug 2003 20:57:52 GMT, BeachBumInDa650 <beachbu...@aol.com> wrote:
> >For Hip-Hop and Rap music, I've noticed numerous artists mentioning freeway or
> >interstate numbers in their songs. Here's what I can think of, off the top of
> >my head.
Notorious Metal vocalist Billy Milano had a song called "Ode to Harry"
on his band M.O.D.'s 1987 album "USA for MOD". The Long Island
Expressway is referenced:
Harry got in the car
And turned the key
He started up and headed down the L.I.E.
To cheap to get a real car
He had a Volkswagen Rabbit
And that put an end to Harry's cheap habit
The trucker couldn't stop
So the driver took aim
And when he hit Harry
Harry burst into flames
You're dead now Harry
You can't come back
You'd still be alive if you drove a Cadillac
Okay, the 'humor' is a bit twisted but don't kill the messenger ha ha.
sparky
Warren Pomphrey
MCT wrote in message
<9269-3F5...@storefull-2175.public.lawson.webtv.net>...
Be sure to check out the ghost of Asbury Park...before it's gone.
Kevin Flynn
I always liked the back country roads, especially in Cumberland and
Cape May counties. When I lived in Lindenwold, near Camden, we took
the kids down to the shore for a few weeks each summer and I would
never take the ACE or GSP. I enjoyed going through the small towns
(County 555) like Dorothy, Milmay, Star Cross, Buena, Mays Landing.
The ocean is awesome of course, but take time to explore the back
bays, esp around Stone Harbor and Avalon. Rent a boat or take the
dolphin-watching cruise out of Wildwood into Delaware Bay.
Raymond C Martin Jr
I thought of that, but now that its off-season, I didn't want to scare
him (and it does get a little scary around there once the 'tourists'
are gone...)