In the Globe’s Trendlines newsletter, Larry Edelman recently mentioned “Roadrunner,” the classic Jonathan Richman tribute to Route 128.
Now, as noted here previously, songs about roads and trains are definitely a thing. But they’re not, generally speaking, a thing here.
We don’t exactly do the whole romance-of-the-open-road shtick. There’s no Route 66 about which to wax poetic. And the midnight train to Braintree just doesn’t have the same ring as the one to Georgia.
There’s “Roadrunner,” “Charlie on the M.T.A.” … and that’s about it. (Let me know if I’m overlooking something!)
Of course, there’s other songs about Boston, like “Dirty Water” and “I’m Shipping up to Boston.”
But nobody wrote a “Highway 1A Revisited.” If there’s an Arlo Guthrie song about the “City of Worcester,” I missed it. No singer would urge you to take the A train, because it was discontinued in 1969. And if you’re getting your kicks on Route 66, odds are it’s not the one in Northampton.
I realize it’s not a fair comparison, but the cultural significance of Route 66, fueled by all the movies, books, and songs that mention it, has turned into an economic booster for the Western states the road passes through.
So consider this a challenge to any songwriters out there: If you too are in love with Massachusetts, make the Orange Line famous. Or Fresh Pond Parkway. Or the Sagamore Bridge. Given the state of the transportation system, we could all use the lift.
This is an excerpt from Are we there yet?, a Globe Opinion newsletter about the future of transportation in the region. Sign up to get it in your inbox a day early.
Alan Wirzbicki is Globe deputy editor for editorials. He can be reached at alan.wirzbicki@globe.com.
