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South Shore legislators propose whoring state out to Aerosmith

the MODERN LOVERS "Roadrunner" 1972

State House News Service reports state reps. Josh Cutler of Duxbury and James Cantwell of Marshsfield today filed legislation to make Aerosmith's "Dream On" the official Rock Song of the Commonwealth, rather than "Roadrunner" by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers.

The two say "Dream On" is about reaching for your dreams, although it makes no references at all to Massachusetts, unlike "Roadrunner," which is about the joys of driving around routes 128 and 9, with the radio on. "No band is more closely associated with Massachusetts," they claim.

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Comments

Good lord - we want to have a state song that is about nothing more than driving?

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This would be the official Rock Song of the Commonwealth. For earnestness, we already have the official Song of the Commonwealth, the official Folk Song of the Commonwealth, the official Patriotic Song of the Commonwealth, the officials Ode of the Commonwealth and, of course, the official Polka of the Commonwealth. Oh, and to go with them all, the official Dance of the Commonwealth (square).

http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1a.htm

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Don't forget the Official Ceremonial March, and State Glee Club Song.

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when I first heard this story. But the song itself is so much better than anything Aerosmith ever made...

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It's promotional! 'I got the modern sounds of modern Massachusetts' - '128 when it's dark outside'.... Modernity! Innovation! Technology! Invest in Massachusetts!

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Here's the 2nd verse, if you count the first as a kind of chorus:

Alright
I'm in love with modern moonlight 128 when it's dark outside
I'm in love with Massachusetts
I'm in love with the radio on
It helps me from being alone late at night
It helps me from being lonely late at night
I don't feel so bad now in the car
Don't feel so alone, got the radio on
Like the roadrunner
That's right

My lit crit days are behind me but I always found it to be something of an existential love song.

And then you throw in rock and roll and speeding cars. It's got my vote.

And Dream On is a fucking ballad, for God's sake. Down right embarrassing to have a ballad as the officail rock song.

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So I guess the band Boston is from New York?

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The song Smokin' is 4 minutes 20 seconds.

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Tyler lives in Jim's District. Joe Perry lives in Cutler's.

Dream On was written while Tyler was in high school, in Yonkers. Aerosmith formed in New Hampshire.

I will be contacting my state rep, Cantwell, and express my displeasure. Go Jonathan. Geezer rock be damned!

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Any love for Sweet Baby James by James Taylor?

Now the first of December was covered with snow
and so was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston.
Though the Berkshires seemed dreamlike on account of that frosting,
with ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go.

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Why don't they make it "We Built This City" by Starship and be done with it? I recall that they used parts of the Boston Skyline for a second or two in the video.

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Given Starship's roots as a reincarnation of Jefferson Airplane, I've always assumed this song was about San Francisco.

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My sarcasm isn't always so easily detected on here. That song was voted the worst pop song ever a few years back by some magazine that appointed itself to make such judgments and was backed up a few years later by a Rolling Stone poll which ranked it the worst song of the 80s.

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Grand Funk Railroad paved the way for Jefferson airplane, which cleared the way for Jefferson starship. The stage was now set for the Alan Parsons project, which I believe was some sort of hovercraft.

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I used to with it. Now what I'm with isn't it and what's it is weird and scary.

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Sorry.

That's I used to BE with it....

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/jul/20/popand...

Dream on, Aerosmith fans. There's just no comparison. Jonathan Richman is so purely Massachusetts that he makes Menino sound like a transplant.

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Richman hasn't lived in Massachusetts for years and years now. He wouldn't recognize some of his old stomping grounds. But, when he was here he was quite descriptive about it.

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I've seen him three times (or should I say, thrice) in the past few years. A new song called "Bohemia" is about hanging out by the entrance to Harvard Station being artsy and pretentious (really).

His last album contained a song called "Winter Afternoon by BU in Boston"

And before that, we got an ode to wandering around Cleveland Circle in "Not So Much to Be Loved as to Love".

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Who cares? Why should our legislators waste time on this stuff?

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When they're not looking at something like this.

Please. At this point I wish they'd find and debate official "Mass" things and not pass any other laws.

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There really is nothing to debate. 'Modern sounds of modern Massachusetts...'....pure class.

Can't believe it's 40+ years old.

Aerosmith? Season's of Wither. Beautiful song. Massachusetts landscape in winter was it's inspiration. Alright, yes,I know, it's not cheesy and upbeat. And I know they'd never use it as a state song.

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I think anybody who feels the need to debate this in a serious manner should have Serves You Right To Suffer, by J. Geils, declared their permanent official personal theme song.

Q: What did the General Court say when asked about this?

A: Ain't nothin' but a House Party!

Suldog
http://jimsuldog.blogspot.com

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if this is going to turn into a thing why not Shipping Up to Boston by the Dropkick Murphys?

There's always the Boomtown theme....or the Bozo theme...or "How Does Dinger Do It? (we don't know)"

Radio on!

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and we are talking about the official STATE song. If it was about Boston, I'd throw Freddie Cannon's "Boston My Hometown" into the ring. That's a pretty great tune, and he is from either Lynn or Revere, not sure which though.

Anyway, "Roadrunner" gets my vote!

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Sorry, Shipping is a decent song but it can't hold a candle to Road Runner.

Not even in the same league.

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Bwahahahaha.

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Everyone bitched about the Dropkick Murphys suggestion but no one took issue with the Dave Dinger Ford commercial? Or the Bozo theme?

Geez, tough crowd.

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Aerosmith is so (physically and metaphorically) burned-out, played-out, and washed-up I can barely stand listening to their songs anymore. "Roadrunner" may not be a new song, but it feels like a breath of fresh air in comparison.

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Tyler hates singing "Dream On" as much as he hated singing "Angel".

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Tyler loves their #1 hit IDWTMAT, which sucks. They have a ton of great songs. None of them are particularly well suited to being the official rock song of the Commonwealth... official rock ballad, maybe.

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Deval talking about:

raising gas tax
increasing income tax
taxing drivers per mile
etc.

but don't worry guys, figuring out the official state rock song is much more important.

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Hell, I'd even take Richman's Government Center over that Aerosmith swill.

Well we've got a lot a lot of hard work today
We gotta rock at the Government Center
To make the secretaries feel better
When they put those stamps on the letters

And they got a lot a lot of great desks and chairs
Now, at the Government Center
Where they put the stamps on all the letters
And then they write it down in the ledger

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detail...

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I've been passing over this debate in it's entirety but decided to finally listen to this "Roadrunner" song...

After about 2 minutes of it I had to hit mute and go look for my bottle of Aleve because it straight up gave me a headache.

To be fair, I never have liked that 70's rock/punk genre.

Just my $.02

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