The Little Nash Rambler

Actually, this is a photo of a 1961 two-seater Nash Metropolitan (link will take you to history on Wikipedia), perhaps the precursor to today's Smart Car, as it was intended as a commuter vehicle but the marketing was aimed specifically at the post-war women needing a 'compact car' (although that marketing phrase was still several years away) to run errands or for the dad to leave at the train station. To disprove the theory that car manufacturers cannot, or have not been able to, create a vehicle that gets good mpg, this car got from 29-39 mpg depending on speeds traveled - that was 60 years ago, folks!

Restored in the familiar colors of the time period (1954-1962), this cute little buggy (smaller than the VW Beetle) was recently offered for sale in Sequim, WA. I don't know if it is still for sale, but seeing it, I was reminded of the song called "Beep, Beep" that came out in 1958, made popular by the Playmates. (Click here to listen to it.)

1967 Nash Metropolitan, a two-seater, for sale in Sequim, WA

Perhaps you do as well... it starts off slowly... and builds up speed as the song progresses, a technique called accelerando in the music world. On Wikipedia it is stated that in order for the song to be released in Europe they had to change the words to "bubble car' and 'limousine' to avoid mentioning specific trade names, but since the vehicle was being partially constructed over there I am not sure what purpose that served.

Songwriters: Cicchetti, Carl / Claps, Donald

[Very Slow]
While riding in my Cadillac,
What to my surprise.
A little Nash Rambler was following me -
About one third my size.
The guy must've wanted to pass me up
As he kept on tooting his horn. Beep! Beep!
I'll show him that a Cadillac
Is not a car to scorn.
Beep beep. Beep! Beep! Beep beep. Beep! Beep!
His horn went beep beep beep. Beep! Beep!

[Slow]
I pushed my foot down to the floor
To give the guy the shake.
But the little Nash Rambler stayed right behind;
He still had on his brake.
He must have thought his car had more guts
As he kept on tooting his horn. Beep! Beep!
I'll show him that a Cadillac
Is not a car to scorn.
Beep beep. Beep! Beep! Beep beep. Beep! Beep!
His horn went beep beep beep. Beep! Beep! 

[Normal]
My car went into passing gear
And we took off with gust.
Soon we were doing ninety -
Must've left him in the dust.
When I peeked in the mirror of my car,
I couldn't believe my eyes:
The little Nash Rambler was right behind -
I think that guy could fly.
Beep beep. Beep! Beep! Beep beep. Beep! Beep!
His horn went beep beep beep.

[Faster]
Now we're doing a hundred and ten -
This certainly was a race.
For a Rambler to pass a Caddy
Would be a big disgrace.
The guy must've wanted to pass me up
As he kept on tooting his horn.
I'll show him that a Cadillac
Is not a car to scorn.
Beep beep. Beep! Beep! Beep beep. Beep! Beep!
His horn went beep beep beep.

[Fastest]
Now we're doing a hundred and twenty -
As fast as I could go.
The Rambler pulled along side of me
As if we were going slow.
The fellow rolled down his window
And yelled for me to hear,
"Hey, Buddy, how can I get this car
Out of second gear!"

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

Front view of the Nash Metropolitan in Sequim, WA.
When the car was offered new the price was about $1700,
but comparatively it was not an inexpensive choice.

It seems to me there were more silly songs back in those days, or maybe I'm just not getting the humor of the songs played today... Hope you enjoyed this 'reverse gear' reflection....

Sights and Sounds of Colombia

During the Fiesta in October, the streets were crowded with people, dogs,
horses, motos, cars, trucks and music was coming from everywhere.

It has taken me awhile to track down this popular singer and the song I was hearing everywhere, even back when I first arrived in Colombia. During the 2010 Christmas season, this song was blaring from every radio, whether in a car, casa or attached to some camposino's mochilla (sack).

I actually got sick of hearing it last year, but when it was played again this year, it was like finding an old friend. And this year, because I am working on learning Spanish, I did a translation of the song called "Gracias."

Basically it's about a man who has fallen hopelessly in love and how he values the object of his affection. But one line jumped out at me. He sings, "After God and my mother, I live for you." I am sure that is why even the church supports this artist. Anyhow, putting aside various people's perspective on the Almighty, this lively song also features the typical Colombiana fast-paced rhythm with what sounds like a 'Tiple' guitarist accompanying the singer. I will go into that particular musical form in another post, but have a listen to this very popular song and the 'cantinero,' and see if your feet don't start moving all on their own.

"Gracias" by Silvestre Dangond

The chorus (roughly translated) means:

thanks for making me correct so many errors

thanks for painting my life with beautiful colors

thanks for sowing in the soul new illusions

thanks for making me write more than thousand songs.

It turns out this young man is indeed quite a prolific songwriter. I welcome a more correct version from any linguist out there!

Do It Anyway

The two-box cold is pretty much over. (Two boxes refers to the number of tissue boxes required to get through it.) But as I was checking various blogs I realized that many of us are 'out there,' speaking our minds to whomever cares to read/listen. To all the bloggers, this song is for you:

Anyway by Martina McBride (2006)

It's a lovely day here in Florida, and I am blessed to be healthy once again.