HowYOUdoin, Dialophiles?
As the summer winds down here in
the U.S., the ever-lovin' Radio Dial brings you a nearly forgotten early '80s
rock hit that speaks to those summer road trip nights of everybody's youth...
Crank it up for Diesel, and "Sausalito Summernight"!
We left for Frisco in your Rambler
The radiator running dry
I've never been much of a gambler
And had a preference to fly
Far from being a song of freedom on the open road, Diesel’s lyrics detail a National Lampoon-esque road trip fraught with various issues concerning the driver’s Rambler, a car last produced in '69, so this car is at least twelve years old at the time of the song’s release. The singer, a passenger out for an evening trip with his buddies, complains about the car’s bad radiator, rumbling engine, lack of a spare tire, and an unexpected $80 repair on a blown gasket, leading the singer to declare that "We oughta dump her in the bay".
Despite the litany of auto issues, the singer exhibits a playful sense of humor, and even manages to enjoy a tasty snack while stopping to fill up the old clunker.
I’ve never been to Sausalito CA, (heck, I’ve never been farther west than Chicago…) but this song makes me feel like I’m along for the ride.
Hot summer night in Sausalito
Can't stand the heat another mile
Let's drop a quarter in the meter
And hit the sidewalk for a while
Released in 1981 from the “Watts in a Tank” LP, Diesel’s ode to a junker peaked at US #25, and hit the top of the singles chart in Canada. The Steve Miller styled rock band was founded in the Netherlands by Rob Vunderink, Mark Boon, Frank Papendrecht, and Pim Koopman, and disbanded in 1985 after no further hits, truly earning them the “one hit wonder” title.
Cashin' all my checks
Scrapin' out my bank
Spend it on a Rambler
With a whirlpool in the tank
I have to admit… I don’t believe I ever heard this track back in the day. I first learned of the song about five years ago, when visiting my friend Greg, who has a tricked out game room filled with about 40 classic arcade games, and an 80's playlist cranking out the hits of era. Alongside expected hits from Journey, The Police, and Duran Duran, “Sausalito Summernight” was in hot rotation! Greg heard the song all the time on the hometown Ohio stations he grew up with, but I curiously never heard it back home in DC. Sometimes songs really blow up in one market, but go unnoticed in others, and that may have happened with Diesel’s rock classic. Its #25 middle-of-the-road chart peak would seem to support that theory.
So check out the song, settle in, and enjoy the ride, Dialophiles. I think I'm gonna cut out for a moment, as for some reason, I'm totally hungry for a burger and a root beer right now… hope MY car holds up on the drive!
All aboard… Sausalito summernight
All aboard… Sausalito summernight
We left for Frisco in your Rambler
The radiator running dry
I've never been much of a gambler
And had a preference to fly
Far from being a song of freedom on the open road, Diesel’s lyrics detail a National Lampoon-esque road trip fraught with various issues concerning the driver’s Rambler, a car last produced in '69, so this car is at least twelve years old at the time of the song’s release. The singer, a passenger out for an evening trip with his buddies, complains about the car’s bad radiator, rumbling engine, lack of a spare tire, and an unexpected $80 repair on a blown gasket, leading the singer to declare that "We oughta dump her in the bay".
Despite the litany of auto issues, the singer exhibits a playful sense of humor, and even manages to enjoy a tasty snack while stopping to fill up the old clunker.
I’ve never been to Sausalito CA, (heck, I’ve never been farther west than Chicago…) but this song makes me feel like I’m along for the ride.
Hot summer night in Sausalito
Can't stand the heat another mile
Let's drop a quarter in the meter
And hit the sidewalk for a while
Released in 1981 from the “Watts in a Tank” LP, Diesel’s ode to a junker peaked at US #25, and hit the top of the singles chart in Canada. The Steve Miller styled rock band was founded in the Netherlands by Rob Vunderink, Mark Boon, Frank Papendrecht, and Pim Koopman, and disbanded in 1985 after no further hits, truly earning them the “one hit wonder” title.
Cashin' all my checks
Scrapin' out my bank
Spend it on a Rambler
With a whirlpool in the tank
I have to admit… I don’t believe I ever heard this track back in the day. I first learned of the song about five years ago, when visiting my friend Greg, who has a tricked out game room filled with about 40 classic arcade games, and an 80's playlist cranking out the hits of era. Alongside expected hits from Journey, The Police, and Duran Duran, “Sausalito Summernight” was in hot rotation! Greg heard the song all the time on the hometown Ohio stations he grew up with, but I curiously never heard it back home in DC. Sometimes songs really blow up in one market, but go unnoticed in others, and that may have happened with Diesel’s rock classic. Its #25 middle-of-the-road chart peak would seem to support that theory.
So check out the song, settle in, and enjoy the ride, Dialophiles. I think I'm gonna cut out for a moment, as for some reason, I'm totally hungry for a burger and a root beer right now… hope MY car holds up on the drive!
All aboard… Sausalito summernight
All aboard… Sausalito summernight
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