Sing a Song of Cycling

[vovat]

One of the several mix ideas I've been considering is one about bicycles. Not that I've ever been too fond of cycling; I jumped off my bike in fear and skinned my knees pretty badly once when I was a kid, and haven't particularly wanted to ride since then. But it does seem like there are a fair number of songs I really like with bicycles as the subject, or at least mentioned. They seem to have been a hot topic in the psychedelic era, with songs like Pink Floyd's "Bike" (the only song by that band that I actually really like) and Tomorrow's "My White Bicycle" (which I think I used to have on my computer, but no longer do). The Dukes of Stratosphear went along with this idea for their own "Bike Ride to the Moon." Other songs I'm likely to include are:

Corn Mo - Just Some Kid on a Bike
Cracker - "Bicycle Spaniard" and "I Ride My Bike"
Decemberists - Apology Song
Ditty Bops - Walk or Ride (and possibly "Wishful Thinking" as well)
Lincoln - Smashing
John Linnell - South Carolina
Queen - Bicycle Race
Smiths - This Charming Man
They Might Be Giants - Dirt Bike
Vermillion Lies - Bicycle (part of Kim's 31 Songs in 31 Days project)

Any other ideas?

Comments

[suegypt.livejournal.com]

Sinead O'Connor, Black Boys on Mopeds

[burningofroissy.livejournal.com]

Rasputina has a cover of "Brand New Key"; that has bikes AND rollerskates. And innuendos. :D

[vovat.livejournal.com]

Oh, right! I forgot all about that one.

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

Heh, I was skimming past and said "Wow, he mentioned 'Bike' AND 'My White Bicycle' in like one sentence!" and then I saw that the beginning of the sentence actually did introduce them as being from the psychedelic era, which accounts for my excitement. Still, the average person knows neither song, which is entirely their loss.

[vovat.livejournal.com]

They were actually both mentioned in the book Song Stories, as inspiration for the Dukes project.

[colbyucb.livejournal.com]

That would be an awesome mix for when I do my cycling.

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

I must say I definitely thought of "My White Bicycle" when I first heard "Bike Ride to the Moon," and a lot of early-Floyd/Syd Barrett influence in the Dukes stuff as a whole-- I was all impressed that somebody else actually listened to that old obscure psych stuff well enough to imitate it.

[billiedoll.livejournal.com]

And let's not forget "Handlebars" by the Flo-bots. It doesn't have bike or bicycle in the title, but I think it fits.

[punterschlagen.livejournal.com]

Rockinlibrarian, do you remember "Tricycle," as performed by the IUP Concert Band including yourself and you-know-who? I still think of the words you made up for it when I listen to it.

This post makes ME think of "Bicycle" by PlankEye, but that's probably not a band you guys are familiar with.

[rockinlibrarian.livejournal.com]

"Tricycle" is one of those titles I recognize when you mention it but can't remember how it goes at all. I was listening to all my old IUP CDs a few weeks ago and there were a few songs that I listened to, then looked at the credits to see what band played it, and said, "huh, apparently I played this song, but I don't remember it!" And yet I will get songs we sang in elementary school chorus in my head sometimes!