One More (?) Go Around: A Hundred Songs I Absolutely Must Have With Me on 1/48/50

#322) "Red Red Wine" by Neil Diamond - Until very recently, I had no idea "Red Red Wine" was originally a Neil Diamond song, released in 1968 on his Just For You album. Now that I know, I'm not the least bit surprised. Buried deep in UB40's reggae-infused version (which was all I ever knew, and have always enjoyed), is an unmistakable Neil Diamond melody. It seems so obvious now, and it means that although I planned to list the UB40 cover here, in a very short time I've became an ardent fan of the Neil Diamond version, and now greatly, greatly prefer it.

It's kind of stunning, actually. Stunningly beautiful.

"Red red wine, it's up to you / all I can do I've done, but memories won't go, no memories won't go..."


#323) "Red Red Wine" by UB40 - Ah, what the hell, I still like this version too, especially the chanting at the end, which is what caught my attention 30 years ago.

"Red red wine you make me feel so fine, you keep me rockin' all of the time..."


#324) "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel - Like most people who were around when it was new, it's the video for "Sledgehammer" that I remember, more than the song. Its painstakingly detailed stop-motion animation was a pretty big deal in 1987, garnered a lot of buzz, won a lot of awards. I remember checking in to MTV frequently, in hopes of catching it being played, and pressing the record button on the VCR quick enough to make it worth recording.

But now, all these years later - and I guess I'm lucky to be able to say this - I don't need the video. There's a kind of rare, crazy visual going on in my mind just listening to the song. In its own way, this fun, funky, kooky jam is pretty inspired, to a point where the video is almost a needless distraction.

Still cool, though. ;-)



"You could have an aeroplane flying, if you bring your blue sky back..."

Never Thought About It Before, But Now I Wonder: Is There Something "Scientific" About 1/48/50?

Something amazing happened this week. Someone posted an article on my Facebook wall from TrekTheHorizon.com. The article claims that the "ultimate" American road trip has been figured out, and charted.

I was immediately interested, as I've been dreaming about just such a trip since I was 13, and blogging about it weekly for the last four years. My vision for the ultimate road trip, "1/48/50", is a simple, if lofty, proposition: one drive through 48 states, in under 50 years...that is, before I turn 50. But over time I've become interested in how other people have conceptualized such an undertaking.

According to the article, blogger and University of Pennsylvania scientist Randy Olson used mathematical equations and algorithms to suss out what he considers to be the most "optimal" course across our great land - that is, covering the most ground, and seeing the most (in terms of landmarks), in the shortest amount of time, while hitting all 48 contiguous states.

Olson's trip looks like this:

BY THE NUMBERS - Using statistical data and computer algorithms, University of Pennsylvania scientist Randy Olson claims to have created the perfect American Road Trip. RandalOlson.com

Almost two years ago, long before I knew anything about Randy Olson, I discovered a website, RoadTrippers.com. It is a valuable resource for charting, planning and budgeting road trips of all shapes and sizes, whether it's an epic cross-country voyage, or just a few days going nowhere. A live map powered by MapQuest allows you to chart your trip (we really live in an amazing age, in some respects). 

1/48/50 will look something like this:

How and why the two maps are so similar is confounding to me. In plotting my course, I didn't bother with anything scientific, certainly nothing "mathematical". In fact, quite the opposite. I gave no thought whatsoever to what might be the most efficient roads to take, or specific landmarks (the numbered way points on my map are random, just anchors for the general course I want to take), my only goal was - and remains - to hit the lower 48 in one fell swoop, over the course of a summer.  

Sure, there are a few things I'd like to see along the way, things that, frankly, it would be un-American not to look at - Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Four Corners, etc. - and a few personal destinations as well - I'd love to catch a Braves game at SunTrust Park when I make it to Georgia; Key West will be on the itinerary; I have some family in New Jersey, and Maine, etc. - but for the most part, my course was conceived by answering questions that are based on weird predilections buried deep in my mind: Do I want to drive UP the California coast, or DOWN? Do I want to see the American Southwest heading west, or heading east? Would the Gulf Coast look its best on my left, or my right, as I'm driving?  I'm planning on at least four months on the road, so where do I want to be on the longest day of the year?  On July 4th?  Labor Day? Where will autumn look its finest? What states will best serve when I find myself heading home?

Such considerations are completely subjective, and mine are not anything I would expect anyone to understand, or care about. Therefore, I find it fascinating that my route looks so much like Mr. Olson's. Even the numbers match up:

Randy Olson's trip: 224 hours of driving / 1/48/50: 257 hours of driving

Randy Olson's trip: 2-3 months  / 1/48/50: 3-4 months

Randy Olson's trip: 13,699 miles / 1/48/50: 15,314 miles

In any case, reading that article really got me keyed up. This year I've decided I'm going to start making major moves toward making this fantasy a reality. Not just thinking about it, but endeavoring to really make it happen. I'm running out of time, after all. 

Just six short years from now... :-/

Yet ANOTHER Top 100 (or so) Songs I Absolutely Must Have With Me on 1/48/50

#203) "Rainy Night in Georgia" by Brook Benton - I first heard this song when I was in high school, and I legitimately liked it, but I also went out of my way to tell everyone I liked it, in an effort to make myself look musically complex, or sophisticated, or something or other. I didn't know who the hell Brook Benton was, knew only that the song was unique, mood-creating, and thus mood-altering, and most importantly, wasn't just another hair-metal song.

Now, years later, I still really, really like it. It's a sensually beautiful song, painting a dimly-lit but still vivid picture of not just a rainy night in Georgia, but a rainy night in the soul wherever you are, a moment when, indeed, it does feel like it's raining all over the world.  Oddly perfect road song, actually.

"A distant moaning of a train, seems to play a sad refrain to the night..."

#204) "Little Green Apples" by O.C. Smith - This song is just a simple dimple on the musical landscape. It doesn't go anywhere, doesn't say anything important, doesn't push any musical boundaries or expand any horizons...but it too succeeds in simply setting a potent mood, and it has one of the most beautiful lines I've ever heard in a song.

"And if that's not loving me, then all I gotta say / God didn't make little green apples, and it don't rain in Indianapolis, in the summertime..."

It don't rain in Indianapolis in the summertime... has probably ignited more wanderlust in my heart than all the blustery highway freedom songs ever recorded. Ironic, since the song is actually about there being no reason to want to be somewhere else other than right where you are. The guy in the song seems pretty damn content. Pretty in love.  Good for him.

But anyway, about Indianapolis...

"God didn't make little green apples / And it don't snow in Minneapolis when the winter comes..."

Make sure to vote on Tuesday!

Probably a good reason not to schedule a winter road trip...

As far as I can tell, everyone survived, thankfully.

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 Happy Holidays! Drive safely! DON'T text and drive!