Wanderlust: Midcentury Style, Pt. II
Wanderlust doesn’t quite capture what happened as the 50s unfolded into the 60s and the 60’s burst into the 70s. The desire to head out, hit the trail and go west, young man rolled around collecting music, poetry, philosophy, youth, adventure, freedom, culture, potential — in fact, an entire generation — into a giant Katamari Damasy ball.
It’s beyond me to explain what happened. I’m sure there’s been more than one good thesis on this subject. I’ll merely try to hand out a few examples of the period.
Route 66
This was the first major east-west highway constructed in America. It originated in Chicago and terminated in Santa Monica, California. Before the interstate highway system was begun in 1956, Route 66 was The Road or The Mother Road. It was the road that blown out, dust bowl farmers drove west to find work in California and actors drove west to find fame in Hollywood. It was the road of opportunity and adventure. It was The Main Street of America.
Route 66 had its own TV show from 1960 to 1964. The show chronicled the exploits of two young men and one great looking Corvette as they made their way across the country.
Route 66 has its own song. The song, “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66,” was first recorded by Nat King Cole in 1946. Since that time, though, it’s been covered by several dozen other artists.
Ramble On
In the middle of the twentieth century, pretty much everyone wanted to travel. They wanted to go places and see things. Pretty much everyone under 30 needed to travel. They craved the freedom of it. And freedom was something else they needed. Travel=Freedom.
Maybe that’s why the era produced an excess of songs about traveling around. Really — how could three songs with the word “ramble” be written within four years of each other? (“Ramble On” by Led Zeppelin, “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man” by Bob Seger and “Ramblin’ Man” by The Allman Brothers Band)?
In “Born to Be Wild” (1968) Steppenwolf sang:
Get your motor runnin’
Head out on the highway
Looking for adventure
In whatever comes our way
In “Born to Run” (1975) Bruce Springsteen sang:
In the day we sweat it out on the streets of a runaway American dream
At night we ride through the mansions of glory in suicide machines
Sprung from cages out on highway nine,
Chrome wheeled, fuel injected, and steppin’ out over the line
H-Oh, Baby this town rips the bones from your back
It’s a death trap, it’s a suicide rap
We gotta get out while we’re young
`Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run
As early as 1971, the travel trend was noted. Carole King wrote in her song, “So Far Away”
One more song about moving along the highway
Can’t say much of anything that’s new
Yet the trend continued for a few more years.
