Songs about Rides, Coasters, etc

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rollergator said:
Tina, making me feel old....AGAIN! Dead or Alive was right around the time of my freshman year, in college...

LOL! I am not far behind ya Bill. I still have the "45" somewhere.

Thanks Turbo, Dope is what I meant to say. LOL! Disturbed did a remake of "Shout" by Tears For Fears. At least I think they did. I thought I downloaded the song a while back but can't find it now.

-Tina

<--------Yup, I am an "80's" child. ;-)

*** Edited 11/23/2003 8:08:34 PM UTC by coasterqueenTRN***

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Tina - I had the 12" for some time :)

Not sure I could listen to it now, knowing what Pete Burns (singer) looks like lol

-Jim

There's a song called "Cedar Point '76" by The Dirtbags. You can guess what it's about. It mentions Corkscrew and the arcade. It's a dorky song.

There are tons of songs out there that say "roller coaster," but are they really about roller coasters? Probably not.

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coasterwiz said:
I like Blink-182's "Roller Coaster" song, and their CD's. They're pretty darn good. The "Roller Coaster" song is on the CD called "Take off your pants and jacket", and they just made a new one too. But, I think it has a few swear words in it, and it's not really the best for a presentation.

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Quick fix for the vulgar language. Just buy the CD at Walmart. :)

Buckethead has two albums about his theme park, Bucketheadland. Although it isn't about a real park they talk about the rides areas of the park and other stuff. Thats where I got my Sig from! :) www.bucketheadland.com

I don't think it would be good for kids though, since they take pride in having the most beheading of any theme park in the US! *** Edited 11/23/2003 10:34:06 PM UTC by coasterpunk***

Jethro Tull's "Big Dipper" is another one.

Belle and Sebastian have a song called "Rollercoaster", as do Echo & The Bunnymen.

Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon, mentioned above, also re-made his "Palisades Park" song as "Kennywood Park" in the '80s.

The Dead Milkmen have that one song about "the attendant did not strap me in... I see the loop is up ahead... this is my last roller coaster ride." I forget the name of it, but it was on the Beelzebubba album.

There is a song by the Beatles called "Helter Skelter". I believe helter skelter is a slang for roller coaster in Great Britain. In fact, John Lennon testified in behalf of the group during Charles Manson trial about this song being a roller coaster. Here is a part of the lyric:

When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide...
Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride...
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again..

Do you, don't you want me to love you...
I'm coming done fast but I'm miles above you..

This is song on "The White Album" disk 2.

A "Helter Skelter" is a spiral slide , not a coaster. It was a staple on Fairgrounds in the British Isles for years, although they are becoming rare now.

kpjb, you say Belle & Sebastian have a rollercoaster song...or are you thinking of "Rollercoaster" by Everything But The Girl? I have a single of that one, with a lovely picture of a Griffiths coaster car on the cover...

Red House Painters has a couple of songs on their self-titled album that refer to roller coasters, but I don't think much of those. That album bas the picture of the (now gone) Coney Island Thunderbolt combined with images from an old British Wild Mouse.

Nobody mentioned Buddy Holly's "Everyday", which has been remade by Don McLean and by James Taylor (and others). There are a couple of backhanded references to amusement parks and roller coasters in Moxy Früvous' "Fly" (from their second album, "Wood"; also on "Live Noise"). NRBQ has a couple of ride references on the "Wild Weekend" album, specifically a comparison to a roller coaster in "Little Floater", and one quick line about a Tilt-A-Whirl in "Poppin' Circumstance".

Of course if you are giving a presentation and need something as background music, something you can talk over, perhaps you should look into instrumental tracks. The obvious candidate is the "Rollercoaster" soundtrack by Lalo Schifrin...several tracks just scream, "Amusement park!!!" when they play (although some scream "Disaster Movie!!!" as well, so choose carefully...). Dutchman referred to some of the ancient waltzes and marches written for amusement parks, that might also be a good place to look.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Bruce Springsteen has several amusement park songs. Sandy(4th of July) mentions a Tilt-A-Whirl. Born To Run talks about,"the amusement park rises bold and stark... and Tunnel of Love combines a dark ride/marriage reference.

I don't know about the best, but the worst possible accompaniment for something like that would be "Funtime Amusement Park" by the Dead Kennedys. Why? Lines like "Someone sabotagued the rollercoaster last night" and "Crushed little kids adorn the boardwalk".

Ah, the DKs ...

I totally forgot about that Dead Kennedys. I didn't listen to them for a long time. I think I may need to listen to them again.

Buckethead I think is far worse than the DK's though. Bucketheadland and Bucketheadland 2 are all about his own amusement park, errrrr I mean "Abusement Park". "Bucketheadland would like to apologize for the whole escaped ferris wheel fiasco. We are doing everything within our power to stop it from rolling."

Here's some saftey considerations of Bucketheadland. http://www.bucketheadland.com/visitorcenter/VIC7.html

Haux, it's the Dirtbombs, not Dirtbags, FYI.

-seth

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RideMan said:
kpjb, you say Belle & Sebastian have a rollercoaster song...or are you thinking of "Rollercoaster" by Everything But The Girl? I have a single of that one, with a lovely picture of a Griffiths coaster car on the cover...

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Dave, I don't think it was ever released as a single, but it's the last track on the "Boy with the Arab Strap" record from '98. Actually, upon further review, it's called "The Rollercoaster Ride," not just "Rollercoaster" as I said before.

"On a Carousel" by The Hollies

-Dawn, taped Dead or Alive off the radio *** Edited 11/27/2003 12:33:18 AM UTC by dawnmarie313***

Thanks, 'JB. I'll investigate that one.

Of course, I forgot to mention the obvious...while the song itself has NOTHING to do with amusement parks, the recent remake of "Big Yellow Taxi" is notable just because the video was shot at Astroland.

I have a pet theory that while it isn't explicitly mentioned, the song, "Spinning Wheel" by Blood, Sweat, and Tears may be referring to a carousel ("ride a painted pony on the spinning wheel ride...").

Years ago I heard...once...a song about a Ferris wheel, but I don't know who did it or what it was called. Sorry.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.