An American Travelin' Cover Song
Whether you remember Nat King Cole crooning about Route 66 in the 40s and 50s, Depeche Mode rocking the way down the road in the 80s, or you first heard John Mayer or Chuck Berry singing the song in the movie Cars, this song has been moving and inspiring people for decades. "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" was written in 1946 by Bobby Troup and captured the spirit of the expanding automobile culture in that age.
I've collected here as many different versions as I could find, from the well-known hits to some surprising artists. You'll find the Bing Crosby tucked in beside the Rolling Stones. Come and give them a listen!
Celebrate the history and tradition of Route 66. These songs and videos will take you on a trip through St. Louis, down through Missouri, and all of the way down Route 66 to San Bernadino and beyond. Maybe you'll find your new favorite version, here. If you do, or if I've missed one, please let me know in the guestbook below.
- Listen to Versions of "Get Your Kicks on Route 66"
- Start with a Classic Version: Nat King Cole Singing Route 66
- Check Out More Versions of Get Your Kicks on Route 66
- Route 66 Song Lyrics
- Get a look at folks rockin' Route 66
- But wait! There are more!
- Guitar Tabs for Get Your Kicks on Route 66
- Whole Albums Dedicated to the Fabulous Route 66
- What Do Bloggers Have to Say about This Song?
- Share Your Memories
- Share This Lens
- Other Standards and Cover Songs
Listen to Versions of "Get Your Kicks on Route 66"
To save you a little time, I've run that search in a few places:
Last.fm
Rhapsody
iTunes
Yahoo! Music
The original Nelson Riddle instrumental television theme.
Start with a Classic Version: Nat King Cole Singing Route 66
Route 66
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 12/23/2009)
Perhaps the smoothest version of the song ever, Nat King Cole's Route 66 will leave you clamoring for more.
Check Out More Versions of Get Your Kicks on Route 66
Who else has covered this great song?
Route 66 Song Lyrics
If you ever plan to motor west
Travel my way, take the highway that's the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66.
It winds from Chicago to LA.
More than two thousand miles all the way.
Get your kicks on Route 66.
Now you go thru St. Looey, Joplin, Missouri
And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty
You'll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico.
Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Winona,
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino.
Won't you get hip to this timely tip:
When you make that California trip.
Get your kicks on Route 66!
But wait! There are more!
If you still can't get enough, get your kicks with these versions.
Guitar Tabs for Get Your Kicks on Route 66
Whole Albums Dedicated to the Fabulous Route 66
Behind the Wheel/Route 66
Amazon Price: $7.49 (as of 12/23/2009)
Hard to Find Orchestral Instrumentals II
Amazon Price: $15.99 (as of 12/23/2009)
More Songs of Route 66: Roadside Attractions
Amazon Price: $16.99 (as of 12/23/2009)
Route 66 - Songs From The Mother Road
Amazon Price: $15.95 (as of 12/23/2009)
Route 66: That Nelson Riddle Sound
Amazon Price: $17.98 (as of 12/23/2009)
What Do Bloggers Have to Say about This Song?
- PictureNewOrleans blog: Getting Some Kicks
- on Route 66. It's a lyric from an old song about Route 66 that some of my younger readers may not recognize. You see Route 66 was once the main way to get from Chicago to Los Angeles. We're talking about before Ike decided that Hitler ...
- Bob Waldmire's gathering « Route 66 News
- Cathie Stevanovich, president of the Route 66 Association of Illinois, attended the wake Sunday for Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire at the Wilson Park Funeral Home in Rochester, Ill. She had this to report, ... A friend sang a song he wrote for Bob a capella. Bob was a giver. Bob shared. Bob had very definite opinions, but always strove to see the other side as well. There was an ?after the after? at the Cozy Dog where more stories were told, more photos, more reflection. ...
- Along The Way: Route 66 Ends at Santa Monica Pier
- Santa Monica Pier is now the official end of historic U.S. Route 66, originally established November 11, 1926. Finally, this highway made famous in song by Nat ?King? Cole ends directly at the Pacific Ocean where unofficially many have ...
- Road Trip Ideas: Route 66...
- So I added in a third destination of Oklahoma City* and somehow it occurred to me that for much of the journey from Vegas to OKC, you could drive along the famous Route 66. I haven't really done a lot of research on this but since ...
Share Your Memories
How did you of Get Your Kicks on Route 66?
Who's your favorite performer of this timeless classic? Who have I missed?
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Reply
- Oosquid Oosquid Sep 30, 2009 @ 2:31 pm
- "Who's your favorite performer of this timeless classic?" The Stones. I too did not know there were so many versions. Great lens about a great song. 5 stars.
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Reply
- Sojourn Sojourn Jul 16, 2009 @ 12:58 pm
- I had no idea there were so many versions or artists who had done this song! Great choices here and lots of good information. Nicely done!
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Reply
- KimGiancaterino KimGiancaterino Jan 20, 2009 @ 10:25 pm
- Great song... I've featured this on my Eagle Rock lens.
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Reply
- spirituality spirituality Oct 10, 2008 @ 4:45 am
- Wow, this is a great lyrics lens.
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Reply
- Portable_eBay Portable_eBay Oct 4, 2008 @ 6:49 pm
- One of frustrations is playing the guitar. 5*
Other Standards and Cover Songs
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I Fought the Law: A Rebel Standard
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In 1959, Sonny Curtis and The Crickets recorded I Fought the Law. No one took much notice until The Bobby Fuller Four re-recorded the song in 1965, changing Sonny's zip gun to a six gun but otherwise remaining faithful to the sound of the original. P...
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Rock Me, Baby: A Blues Crossover Standard
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Rock Me, Baby has been bouncing around the blues world since its first recording in 1940 by Big Bill Broonzy, and has been covered and reimagined by dozens of musicians of both blues and rock-and-roll fame. The song has crossed genre boundaries and h...
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Big Yellow Taxi: An Environmental Standard
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Joni Mitchell wrote Big Yellow Taxi and first recorded the song for her 1970 album, "Ladies of the Canyon". While the title refers to the last verse, in which a big yellow taxi "took away my old man", the song became famous for its environmental stan...
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The Peter Gunn Theme Song
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Peter Gunn had a theme song, and it's been re-made and remixed since his television show debuted in 1958. Once it hit the airwaves, a new hit song began making its way through musical genres year after year. From the Duane Eddy smash in 1960 through...
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Mack the Knife: A Swingin' Standard
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For a complete explanation of where Mack the Knife came from (and why you ought not be too taken with the scoundrel), check The Straight Dope. This lens picks up at the point where Louis Armstrong recorded the smash hit swing version of the song in 1...
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