Route 66 (song)
(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 is an American blues song written by Bobby Troup in 1946 and released by Nat King Cole that same year .
Story and text
Composer Robert William Troup Jr. came up with the idea for this song while driving on Route 66 from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles , California .
It conjures up the American myth of the freedom to simply sit in your car and travel a few hundred miles west on dead straight roads through the countryside, unencumbered by everyday worries. New suggestions ("kicks") would arise along the way. The refrain contains a list of prominent places that are on this section of Route 66 and are partially connected by rhymes.
The following stations are mentioned:
_Route_66.jpg&filetimestamp=20090717175520&)
_Route_66.jpg&filetimestamp=20090717175520){kind=link}
- St. Louis ( Missouri )
- Joplin (Missouri)
- Oklahoma City ( Oklahoma )
- Amarillo ( Texas )
- Gallup ( New Mexico )
- Flagstaff ( Arizona )
- Winona (Arizona)
- Kingman (Arizona)
- Barstow (California)
- San Bernardino (California)
The insignificant town of Winona in the US state of Arizona, east of Flagstaff, has no significant significance for the route and would probably not have been mentioned. But Troup needed to rhyme with "Arizona" and therefore added the line "Don't forget Winona" .
The version of the Nat King Cole Trio from Route 66 was recorded on March 15, 1946 for the CAPITOL-256 label and, after its release in June 1946, reached both US R&B (# 3) and Pop (# 11 ) Charts . It became the trio's most famous rhythm and blues song.
Cover versions, selection of the greatest hits
The title, registered with the American collecting society ASCAP , is listed there with 58 cover versions , in reality it should be at least 133 versions today, which made the song the most covered road song. In the US pop singles chart came The Manhattan Transfer (May 1982 Rank 78) and Depeche Mode (December 1987 61st).
- Bing Crosby & Andrews Sisters (1946)
- Perry Como (1959)
- The Four Freshmen (1960)
- Chuck Berry (1961)
- Rolling Stones (1964)
- Van Morrison with Them , (1965)
- Dr. Feelgood (1975)
- Asleep At The Wheel (1976)
- The Manhattan Transfer (1982)
- Depeche Mode (1987)
- Natalie Cole (1991)
- Eva Cassidy (live at Blues Alley) (1996)
- Ray Charles (live at the Olympics on November 22, 2000)
- John Mayer , soundtrack to the film Cars (2006)
Others
- A US television series called Route 66 told the story of two young adventurers traveling around in their Corvette in search of the right place. The series, which was not shot on the original Route 66, began on October 7, 1960 and ended on March 13, 1964 after 23 episodes.
- Parody : Billy Bragg has the A13 between London and South Essex in A13 Trunk Road to the Sea sung along the lines of Troup.
- The song was in 1977 for a commercial company Levi's used. The band Clover took the song to the Air Studios by George Martin in London and was also part of a spot where Adrian Lyne directed.
Individual evidence
- ↑ ASCAP Copyright Registration: Search for Work ID: 480056624