All Over The Map: ‘La Push It’ and other dumb Washington parody songs
Aug 30, 2019, 5:38 PM | Updated: 5:55 pm
La Push in Clallam County on the Washington coast, as depicted on a 1956 topographical created by the US Geological Survey. (USGS)
(USGS)
If you鈥檙e not a big fan of our state song or you can鈥檛 quite remember all the lyrics to Woody Guthrie鈥檚 this sampler of much shorter tunes with a connection to the Evergreen State may be just what you need.
Longtime local rock DJ Bob Rivers is well known for a series of parody songs he鈥檚 created over the years, including several 鈥淭wisted Christmas鈥� albums that sold hundreds of thousands of copies.聽 But my favorite Bob Rivers song of all time has more local flavor than 鈥淲hite Trash Christmas,鈥� and it helped start me on a lifetime of obsessing over local pop culture.
Back in the 1970s and early 1980s, it was common to hear the name 鈥淪pokane鈥� pronounced by national TV and radio anchors with a long 鈥渁鈥�; that is, as if it were spelled 鈥淪pokane.鈥� I blame that 鈥渆鈥� on the end for causing all the trouble. Somewhere along the line Bob Rivers, who came to the Northwest in 1989, was inspired to write 聽an Eric Clapton-inspired tribute to the culture (and to those frequent mispronunciations) of the capital of the Inland Empire.
A few years before Rivers arrived here, English band The Smiths, fronted by lead singer Morrissey, released a song called
Perhaps it鈥檚 not surprising that just a short while later, a Seattle musician named 聽created his own local riff on the chorus of that cheery song that I could never unhear: 鈥淕irlfriend in Tacoma.鈥�
I checked with Joey Kline earlier this week to see if he had a recording of his version. Not only did he not have anything on tape, he had no recollection of ever singing such a parody.
Fortunately for us, 成人X站 Radio鈥檚 very talented Aaron Mason of 成人X站 Nights made a little re-creation excerpt of 鈥淕irlfriend in Tacoma,鈥� and ran with two more of my ideas for dumb Washington parody songs. May you never unhear any of them!
鈥淕irlfriend In Tacoma鈥� performed by Aaron Mason
鈥淢ount Vernon For You鈥� performed by Aaron Mason
鈥淟a Push It鈥� performed by Aaron Mason
Got any ideas for other 鈥渓ocal鈥� versions of songs? Please share in the comments below!
Exterior photo courtesy聽
