Songs About Los Angeles: “Little Old Lady from Pasadena”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUlH09TMKgQ[/youtube]
As a kid growing up in the landlocked mid-west the whole “surfer” thing was mystifying and amazing at once.  Jan and Dean were right at the start of the whole “surfer sound” in LA while attending University High.  

It was the Beach Boys that made this uniquely LA sound a world wide phenomenona.  It was one more thing to put LA on the world map in the 1960’s.  Fun songs, fun melody and you could cruise all day to the tunes.

I’ve always loved the “Little Old Lady” for the visuals of the lyrics.  Of course everyone knew a “little old lady racer” type as made famous in “Little Old Lady from Pasadena”.  My Aunt was one, we tease my mother that she’s another (ask her to powerslide the Town Car into a garage sale sometime if you think I’m kidding).  But I digress.  Jan and Dean issued the first version of “Little Old Lady from Pasadena” in 1964 and the Beach Boys played it many years later as part of a superbowl promo that gave it a whole new audience and popularity.  (To see that one you need to make the jump).
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_lLgFXbTtE[/youtube]

The lyrics celebrated all things LA at the time.  The love of surfing, our rising car culture and even poked a little fun at the huge upwelling of the “youth culture” as the first of the baby boomers were hitting their stride as teens.

It’s the little old lady from Pasadena

The little old lady from Pasadena

Go granny, go granny, go granny go

Has a pretty little flower bed of white gardenias

Go granny, go granny, go granny go

But parked in her rickety old garage

Is a brand new shiny red Super Stock Dodge

 

And everybody’s saying that there’s nobody meaner

Than the little old lady from Pasadena

She drives real fast and she drives real hard

She’s the terror of Colorado Boulevard

 

It’s the little old lady from Pasadena

 

If you see her on the street don’t try to choose her

Go granny, go granny, go granny go

You might drive a goer but you’ll never lose her

Go granny, go granny, go granny go

Well, she’s gonna get a ticket now sooner or later

‘Cause she can’t keep her foot off the accelerator

 

And everybody’s saying that there’s nobody meaner

Than the little old lady from Pasadena

She drives real fast and she drives real hard

She’s a terror of Colorado Boulevard

 

It’s the little old lady from Pasadena

Go granny, go granny, go granny go

Go granny, go granny, go granny go

The guys come to race her from miles around

But she’ll give ’em a length then she’ll shut ’em down

 

And everybody’s saying that there’s nobody meaner

Than the little old lady from Pasadena

She drives real fast and she drives real hard

She’s a terror out on Colorado Boulevard

 

It’s the little old lady from Pasadena

 

Go granny, go granny, go granny go

Granny go

Go granny, go granny, go granny go

Granny go

Go granny, go granny, go granny go

Granny go

Go granny, go granny, go granny go

Granny go

Hat tip to Julia Frey who came up with the idea for the series and explained it here.