Route 66 (song)
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"(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" is an American popular song, composed in 1946 by Bobby Troup and first recorded that same year by Nat King Cole.
Troup conceived the idea for the song while driving west from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, California, and the lyrics — which include references to the U.S. highway of the title and many of the cities it passes through — celebrate the romance and freedom of automobile travel.
The lyrics read as a mini-travelogue about the major stops along the route, listing several cities and towns that Route 66 passes through. Specifically mentioned, in order, are St. Louis, Missouri; Joplin, Missouri; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Amarillo, Texas; Gallup, New Mexico; Flagstaff, Arizona; Winona, Arizona; Kingman, Arizona; Barstow, California; and San Bernardino, California. Winona is the only town out of sequence in the list. It was a very small settlement east of Flagstaff, and might indeed have been forgotten if not for the song's lyric, "Don't forget Winona", written to rhyme with "Flagstaff, Arizona."
Cole's rendition of "Route 66" became a hit on both the U.S. R&B and pop record charts.
The producers of television show Route 66 commissioned a new theme song because they wanted to avoid making royalty payments for Troup's song.
The 2006 Disney/Pixar film Cars portrays the legendary road, Route 66 as a spectacle of the United States. In doing so, the Film's Soundtrack includes the popular Chuck Berry version and the "updated" version by modern blues rock artist John Mayer.
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[edit] Cover versions
The song is a pop standard and has since been covered by numerous other vocal and instrumental artists, including:
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[edit] Re-Worked Versions
Essex-born English singer-songwriter Billy Bragg also recorded an "anglicised" version of the song called "A13 (Trunk Road to the Sea)" for a John Peel session. In the song — strummed and sung to the same tune as the original — the landmark cities are replaced with English ones along the route of the A13, with Bragg inviting listeners to "Go motoring, on the A-firteen".
[edit] Cheetah Girls Cover
| "Route 66" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by The Cheetah Girls | ||
| from the album The Cheetah Girls 2 Special Edition Re-Release | ||
| Released | October 21, 2006 (Digital Download) |
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| Format | Digital Download |
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| Recorded | 2006 | |
| Genre | Pop, Rock, | |
| Label | Walt Disney Records | |
| The Cheetah Girls singles chronology | ||
| "Amigas Cheetahs" (2006) |
"Route 66" (2006) |
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (2007) |
"Route 66" is the fifth and final single off of The Cheetah Girls's second self-titled album The Cheetah Girls 2 Special Edition Re-Release. It officially premiered on Radio Disney on October 21, 2006. The single was released officially for digital download on November 7, 2006. The song has a Rock and Pop sound and is a remake of a classic song.
[edit] Music video
The Cheetah Girls did shoot a video for the single which is being released only on the Special Edition Re-Release of The Cheetah Girls 2. The video does not appear in any film but is inspired by the Disney/Pixar movie Cars. The video consists of The Cheetah Girls on a road trip across Route 66. They are drving through the desert in an older 60's model car and clips from the movie Cars play. They also stop at a gas station at night and sing and dance under the bright street lights and meet a boy at another gas station suring the day.
[edit] Trivia
- This song is not inluded on the Cars DVD.
- The music video for the song debuted on Disney Channel after the world premiere of Return to Halloweentown on October 20th, 2006.
[edit] External links
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