Before the Beach Boys got to little deuce coupes, shut-down races and custom machines, America had already been singing about cars for more than 50 years.
In this episode, Harry and Andy trace the road from some of the earliest motoring songs through blues, boogie woogie, post-war hot rod culture and 1950s drag-racing records, all the way to California in the early 60s.
Along the way, Rudyard Kipling turns up writing about cars, Robert Johnson uses the automobile as a sexual metaphor, World War II changes American car culture, Route 66 becomes a kind of musical travel brochure, and Arkie Shibley somehow builds a whole hot rod saga with sequels, different perspectives and an unreliable narrator.
By the end, it all starts to point towards the Beach Boys.
They didn’t invent car music. They were the start of its third wave.
There’s also a Spotify playlist with the songs and influences covered in the episode, so you can follow the whole trail for yourself.
Hot Rod Boogie: The Road to Little Deuce Coupe
Made In California: A Beach Boys Podcast
A chronological journey through the music, history and odd corners of The Beach Boys story.
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