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It's cool to be car-free |
Rock music: more cars than the M25 Rock and cars: no doubt there are PhD theses out there on this subject. So many songs about cars, and the romance of the road, especially in the US, with its rhapsody to Route 66. Wilson Pickett rasps to Mustang Sally, the Beach Boys hymned their Little Deuce Coupe, Janis Joplin her Mercedes Benz and Prince his Little Red Corvette (shouldn't it have been purple?). Tom Robinson's Grey Cortina and Billy Bragg's A13, Trunk Road to the Sea might not have quite the same appeal, but if the road goes on forever, so does the list of songs about cars. So where are the songs that just say no to cars? There are plenty of songs about walking and running. But if you Google "anti-car songs", it replies in that helpful but rather sinister way "Did you mean anti-war songs?" Where are the songs that challenge the myth? Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi captured a mood, but Joni was also responsible for Ray’s Dad’s Cadillac, not to mention Car On A Hill. Arcade Fire might be where No Cars Go, if they hadn't also enjoined us to Keep the Car Running. Arch post-punk pagan Julian Cope came up with Autogeddon Blues, while Radiohead miserabilise about Killer Cars. But where are the rest? Where are the songs that counter the romance of the road and the mythology of the car. If you can come up with some suggestions, please contribute to the Forum.
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