I did my fair share of “cruising” as a young person. I’m not sure kids even do this anymore. My friends and I would drive around in circles going nowhere in particular until it was time to go home. Sometimes, late at night or early in the morning, an impromptu drag race took place.
For several years this was cheap entertainment. Gas wasn’t as expensive back then—so the cost for an evening out was a couple of bucks or pocket change, depending on how long we cruised.
Eventually, marriage, kids, responsibility, and other such things came into play. Cruising was limited to taking the family to McDonald’s or Taco Bell. Now that the children are all grown, taking a drive to nowhere in particular has once again become fun.
Music listened to in the 70s while tooling around town amounted to whatever 8-track tapes we happened to have on hand. A favorite of mine was an album by Richard & Karen Carpenter, titled Now & Then. My friend, Jeff Thimsen, owned the tape, and we listened to it enough times that I could follow the words verbatim.
Sometimes we did obnoxiously sing out loud yet changed the lyrics on certain songs for humorous purposes. One of these songs was, “Dead Man’s Curve.” The correct lyrics go like this:
“The street was deserted late Friday night.
We were buggin’ each other while we sat out the light.
We both popped the clutch when the light turned green.
You should’ve heard the whine from my screamin’ machine.”
After listening to this tune countless times, it didn’t take long for Jeff to revise things.
“The street was deserted late Friday night.
We were buggin’ each other while we sat out the light.
We both popped the clutch when the light turned green.
You should’ve heard me scream when hot coffee hit my jeans.”
Another tape listened to was, The Beach Boy’s – Greatest Hits. Our favorite song on it was “Get Around.” The most easily remembered lyrics in this song are,
“I’m gettin’ bugged driving up and down the same old strip.
I gotta find a new place where the kids are hip.
My buddies and me are gettin’ real well known.
Yea, the bad guys know us, and they leave us alone.”
Jeff’s modified lyrics went something like this.
“We’re gettin’ bugged driving up and down the same old strip.
We gotta find a new place where the kids aren’t dips.
My buddies and I are gettin’ real well known.
The cops know our cars and they follow us home.”
Just recently, I found a Now & Then CD by the Carpenters on eBay. I plan on playing it the next time my wife and I take a long drive. Something tells me it won’t take long for the lyrics to rekindle a few forgotten memories.
Sometimes—music listened to back then can do that for a person over anything else!
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