In 1946, a young couple left Pennsylvania for Hollywood, where the husband hoped to make his mark as a songwriter. At one point during the journey, the wife suggested that he write something about Route 40. He rebuffed her on the ground that they would be spending far more time on a different highway — Route 66. After a pause, she replied, “Get your kicks on Route 66!” And with that, what is arguably the greatest road song of all time was born.
Here’s a performance by the author himself:
Bobby Troup came from a family that ran music stores in Harrisburg and Lancaster. Cynthia Troup (nee Hare) was a strong-willed girl from the Philadelphia Main Line who delighted in telling the boys at parties, “I’m only wearing
three things and two of them are my shoes.” She met Bobby while working as a dancer, a surprising vocation given that she had developed a bone infection as a child and ultimately endured twenty operations on her leg. They headed west after he graduated with honors from the Wharton School and served a stint in the military.
At the time of their trip, Route 66 — which linked Chicago with Los Angeles — had already entered the national consciousness. In the 1920’s, it was dubbed “The Main Street of America.” In the 1930’s, when the okies fled the Dust Bowl, John Steinbeck named it, “The Mother Road.” In the 1940’s, it was a key supply line for troops and military equipment. By the early post-war period, it had fallen into disrepair. Far from being “the highway that is best” as he referred to it in his song, Bobby later called it “possibly the worst road I’ve ever taken in my life.” But his tribute to it helped define the era that followed — a boom-time when the Pacific Coast beckoned and an automobile on the open freeway symbolized the pursuit of happiness.
Upon reaching California, Bobby successfully marketed the song to Nat King Cole. Many covers followed, including notable ones by Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones. Meanwhile, life went on. Bobby and Cynthia divorced in 1955. He remarried the singer Julie London (best known for recording “Cry Me A River”), had a minor career as an actor, and died in 1999. She had affairs with, among others, John Kennedy, finally lost her leg, and died in 1992, twenty years before the publication of her autobiography. Route 66 died as well; it was bypassed, replaced by other interstates, and officially decommissioned back in 1985. But the song endures.
Below is my favorite version, a high octane interpretation released in 2006 by John Mayer. Enjoy:
Author: Lame Dog
One thought on “The Troups — “Motoring West” in America’s Heyday”
Paul
I love that song, and had fun seeing Route 66 at one point. I couldn’t help thinking about the song as we were driving along it.
I love that song, and had fun seeing Route 66 at one point. I couldn’t help thinking about the song as we were driving along it.