116 replies to this topic

[LittleChris]

I guess we're a fairly wide-ranging bunch as regards musical tastes on this forum ( for me it's everything from Beethoven to Crass ) , but that aside, is there any music that you hear that immediately makes you think of motor sport. I know there's been a thread covering motor sport records, but I'm thinking of music that triggers off thoughts.

Personally I can't hear ' The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac without thinking of GP's in the late 70's / 80's / 90's. For those of you who don't know, this was the theme music to the BBC's Grand Prix coverage.

Now that ITV have taken over in the UK, we have some bit of tat by Jamiroqui that totally lacks atmosphere and just reminds me of what a talentless w@@nker Jay Kay is.

Chris

[Ralliart]

Ever hear Barney Wilen's LP that was a tribute to Bandini?

[Richard Jenkins]

Yes, Europe's Final Countdown. The dear old Beeb used it for their end-of-season review as the German group brought out the song that year. I remember seeing Prost's hands in the air in victory to that music.

Also, if you've ever seen Snowy River, an Australian kid's programme, I'll add that theme music too. After the Australian GP of 1994, I went to sleep. When I woke up, I turned on the TV & there was the music blaring out at me. With it's dramatic music & the fact that it was Australian as well, I thought he conjured up the tumultous happenings of the last 6 hours quite well.

[wati]

Swedish r'n'r band Puffball. They even quote Mario Andretti on the sleeve.

Wattie

[VAR1016]

Ah the chain! How I wish the BBC carried the F1 coverage again.

Just think, we could possibly have a list of grid positions, or a demo lap WITHOUT stupid, gratuitous electronic drums (UGH)

As for music and motor racing, there was Billy Cotton and his Riley at Brooklands in the 1930s and in the 'sixties one could often see Chris Barber's Lotus Elite racing - complete with trombone on the side.

VAR1016

[Vitesse2]

Before this thread drifts O/T, check out this earlier thread on racing musicians (and musical racing drivers) -

http://www.atlasf1.c...&threadid=26045

[Liam]

Obviously "The Chain" thanks to the BBC, but far more curiously, "The Dance" by Garth Brooks!
My mother was a big Garth fan, and around the time of Ayrton's death I heard this song. The lyrics just seemed perfect, and I've always imagined that song playing under a video of clips of Senna's driving.
There is one line, "Holding you, I held everything" which always brings up images of Ayrton in a red and white McLaren sideways in the wet with lots of lock on, yet in complete control.
"Our live's are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss the dance"

[rdrcr]

RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES - Richard Wagner

on a more current vein...

I CAN'T DRIVE 55 - Sammy Hagar

...One foot on the brake and one on the gas, hey!
Well, there's too much traffic, I can't pass, no!
So I tried my best illegal move
Well, baby, black and white come and touched my groove again!
Gonna write me up a 125
Post my face wanted dead or alive
Take my license, all that jive
I can't drive 55! Oh No!


THE KEY TO HER FERRARI - Thomas Dolby

...And then I saw her
She was a bright red '64 GTO with fins and gills
Like some giant piranha fish
Some obscene phallic symbol on wheels
Little rivers of anticipation ran down my inseam
As I kicked those five hundred italian horses into life
And left reality behind me: ...

TRAVELING WITHOUT MOVING - Jamiroquai

...Speed freak faster than a speedin' bullet, slow down,
if I don't, if I don't I might just lose it locked up
you've got me honey locked up under heavy brackin' yeah,
yeah you know I've got to hang on
drive to fast I might be last oh yeah

(funny this... Little Chris thinks this Jamiroquai tune sucks)


RADAR LOVE - Golden Earring

...No more speed, I'm almost there
Gotta keep cool now, gotta take care
Last car to pass, here I go
And the line of cars drove down real slow
And the radio played that forgotten song
Brenda Lee's comin' on strong
And the newsman sang his same song
Oh one more radar lover gone


And probably a whole lot more if I set my mind to it....

[Michael Müller]

La Passione ...

[Martyj]

Maurice Jarre's soundtrack to the "Grand Prix" film is forever etched in my mind as a musical association with F1 racing. Especially the "march" that was heard during the pre-race for the Brand Hatch scenes.

For other forms of racing - particularly NASCAR - I am reminded of Graham Parker's "Crawling from the Wreckage," as performed by Dave Edmunds/Rockpile.

[dmj]

Interesting thing is that aforementioned Thomas Dolby song is from his LP "Aliens ate my Buick". One of best covers ever, especially drive-in scene on the back...

[josh.lintz]

How about "Daddy's Gonna Pay for Your Crashed Car" by U2 (Zooropa, 1993)?
But lately, "Numb" from the same album seems to sum up F1 in general lately.

[jonpollak]

I've always wondered WHO is the person that plays songs over the PA in-between sessions at the races themselves...?

They play the WORST bloddy tunes on earth!!!!
I mean gems like

..Pet Shop Boys?
Milli Vannilli?
Westlife...

YUCK

ps...I am availible for said DJ duty

Jp

[redfiveoz]

Greetings,
Whenever I hear The Who's " I Can't Explain", I'm reminded of "Big John" Surtees. I think this song was used during a doco about British World Champions. With regards to emotive music, the soundtrack accompanying the closing credits of "The Quick and the Dead", especially where Francois Cevert waves to the cameraman, is something special.
Dave

[Carlos Jalife]

In Mexico we used to have the intro to F1 with an instrumental by Joe Satriani, Surfing with An Alien track 4, very nice and it worked a lot better than one would expect.
Not to contradict Richard but I agree that Jamiro.....'s song sucks, the words might be good but the music isn't very appealing. There's a song by Marillion about the Campbell's, really a nice one, I can't remember the name but worth listening to words & music. And how about Long May You Run by Neil Young, although we don't get too many besides Schumacher running to the end of the race these days.

[Berner]

Mark Knopfler's (sp?) last CD "Sailing to Philadelphia" has a track on it that chronicles an entire IndyCar season, circa 1992. Excellent.

[cabianca]

On a more rebelous note, there's ZZ Top's Arrested for Driving While Blind. The old Shell motor racing history films included the 53 Mille Miglia. Had a fantastic jazz soundtrack, although I don't know the groupl.

[Buford]

"Hot Rod Lincoln" and "Transfusion" a couple songs from the 1950's you guys have never heard that they used to play at the tracks. "Ride Like The Wind" by Christopher Cross though it is about horses, Fire On High" by ELO, "Classical Gas" by Mason Williams, all three of which I have used for background music for amateur Racing/Titty videos I used to make for the teams and the party people at Indy.

And "Once Upon A Time In My Wildest Dreams" by the Moody Blues which an Indy station used as background for a killer feature they ran one year at the track. Also "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright which I used one year in a video I made for Phil Krueger of all the local Indy TV coverage of him I edited together for him because he was too busy to have seen it the year he finished 5th in a low buck car.

[DNQ]

After seeing pictures of AC/DC performing live at Hockenheim in 2001, it got me thinking - what other links are there between racing and music, in particular, popular modern day music eg. rock. With the help of some other members on ten-tenths, I've come up with this so far:

- AC/DC performed a live concert at the Hockenheimring stadium on June 10, 2001.
- British pop band, Atomic Kitten, sponsored an MG in this years BTCC.
- Slim Borgudd, closely connected with ABBA, drove an ATS with ABBA signage in the 70's.
- George Harrison realeased a song in 1979 - "Faster" - about Formula 1, as tribute to Ronnie Peterson.
- Robbie Williams video clip for "Supreme" followed the career of a fictional F1 driver in the 1970's.
- Damon Hill has his own band, called the Conrods.
- Nick Mason, drummer of Pink Floyd fame, has written a book about his cars.
- Brian Johnson of AC/DC has driven historic sportscars at Daytona.
- Alice Cooper has purchased an ARCA team to fun in 2003.
- Country music singer, Adam Brand regularly races in the Australian V8 BRute series.
- Phil Collins has describe Michael Schumacher as arrogant (or words to that effect)

Seems there is more broad knowledge on TNF then ten-tenths by a long way, so lets prove it and triple the size of that list

I'd like to hear what you've got, its a very interesting topic i think

[Flying Panda]

Aerosmith - not only did the lead singer sing the national anthem at the event, but the band sponsored a car in the 2001 Indianapolis 500, promoting their (at the time) new album "Play"

I can't remember who the driver was, but I could find out if you really wanted to know. It was one of the 20+ pink/purple cars in the 2001 race.

[theunions]

Originally posted by Flying Panda
Aerosmith - not only did the lead singer sing the national anthem at the event, but the band sponsored a car in the 2001 Indianapolis 500, promoting their (at the time) new album "Play"

I can't remember who the driver was, but I could find out if you really wanted to know. It was one of the 20+ pink/purple cars in the 2001 race.

The album was "Just Push Play" and the driver was Jeff Ward. And it was the only pink car in the field.

Music videos:
Scott Goodyear appeared with on-track/in-car footage of his ez-wider Toyota Atlantic car circa 1985 for a Christopher Cross song

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s cameo in Sheryl Crow's misguided song "Steve McQueen," which gave NASCAR the even more misguided excuse to use Crow to promote NASCAR and vice versa

[theunions]

Originally posted by DNQ
- Slim Borgudd, closely connected with ABBA, drove an ATS with ABBA signage in the 70's.

He wasn't just "closely connected" - he was one of their (studio?) drummers, and his stint with ATS was in 1981.

[Geza Sury]

We've already covered this topic in two threads:

http://www.atlasf1.c...&threadid=45877

http://www.atlasf1.c...&threadid=26045

[Flying Panda]

Originally posted by theunions
The album was "Just Push Play" and the driver was Jeff Ward. And it was the only pink car in the field.

There you have it
it was Moby's album which was alled "Play", silly me.
it may have been the only pink ar in the field, but I remeber that there was an unusually high number or pink and purple cars in that race, something like 3-5, More than I had seen in any race before.

[Ross Stonefeld]

Originally posted by DNQ
- George Harrison realeased a song in 1979 - "Faster" - about Formula 1, as tribute to Ronnie Peterson.

Oh man, that is one of the cheesiest songs ive ever heard

[Ron Scoma]

Billy Cotton was a big band leader and Brooklands competitor.

Ron Scoma

[Henri Greuter]

DNQ wrote:

- George Harrison realeased a song in 1979 - "Faster" - about Formula 1, as tribute to Ronnie Peterson.

Wasn't that the song "The master of going faster" ? And wasn't that a tribute to Jackie Stewart?
Or am I messing up with a different song and/ or a different artist?

Don't know if he did something with racing in his music too but Leo Sayer was found in F1 paddocks too: being a friend of a certain B. Ecclestone helped.

Maybe totally off but I remeber that somewhere in the early eightties there had been an Indy 500 entry being sponsored by "Fivestar", I believe Roberto Moreno being the driver. Was that the musical (so to speak, epending on your taste of music) goup of that time or not?

The Spike Jones Special Midgets and Indycar of the late '40's were indeed sponsored by the genial comedianbandleader. Spike had some interest for racing, even made one hilarious record about a near unbelievable fictionary Indy 500. Incredible hilarious performance by band member Doodles Weaver in an imitation of the Indy 500 radio network.


Indycar drivers who had songs being written about them, (forgot the artists)

"The ballad of Jimmy Bryan"

"Hercules" (in honor of Jim Hurtubise



Henri Greuter

[theunions]

Originally posted by Henri Greuter
DNQ wrote:

- George Harrison realeased a song in 1979 - "Faster" - about Formula 1, as tribute to Ronnie Peterson.

Wasn't that the song "The master of going faster" ? And wasn't that a tribute to Jackie Stewart?
Or am I messing up with a different song and/ or a different artist?

Maybe totally off but I remeber that somewhere in the early eightties there had been an Indy 500 entry being sponsored by "Fivestar", I believe Roberto Moreno being the driver. Was that the musical (so to speak, epending on your taste of music) goup of that time or not?

George's song took its name from the 1971 Peter Manso book about Jackie, but the song itself was specifically about/dedicated to Ronnie (Gunnar too?).

Moreno's 1986 Galles Racing CART entry was sponsored by "FiveStar Marketing," which I think was basically a self-sponsored title (other prominent names on the car being New Mexico logos and "Galles Sunburst."

[theunions]

Originally posted by Berner
Mark Knopfler's (sp?) last CD "Sailing to Philadelphia" has a track on it that chronicles an entire IndyCar season, circa 1992. Excellent.

Only recently did I discover that "Speedway in Nazareth" was inspired specifically by Stefan Johansson.

[theunions]

Originally posted by Buford
Also "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright which I used one year in a video I made for Phil Krueger of all the local Indy TV coverage of him I edited together for him because he was too busy to have seen it the year he finished 5th in a low buck car.

Do you mean MIS instead (in the #77 Todd Walther US Engineering March)? His best career finish at Indy was only 8th.

[Maldwyn]

George Harrison's "Faster" was written by a genuine motor sport enthusiast about a sport he loved.

[Henri Greuter]

about one of my sweetest memories.

Rarity: Motor racing on TV in The Netherlands in 1970: the last half hour of the Le Mans 24 hours.
I saw it as a boy but because of my musical interest I was also following a certain radio program I always listened to.
Shortly before the finish, the cameras following the leading Porsche 917, the radio played "Question" by the Moody Blues.

I can't hear that song anymore without getting visions of a 917 going under the Dunlop bridge, and through the Esses.

A wonderful number, a wonderful event, a wonderful car, you can't get much better for a combination of music and racing than those combined for a memory I tell you that!




Buford,

What's your real name? It sounds as if we must have met in person at Indy at one or more occasions in the past.
That video of Krueger you mentioned was probably in 1988. I became a fan of him during that month.
I made a picture of his car that year and somehow, the fluorescent or glowing characters of the blue and red paint on his car was visible at the picture. He signed a print of that picture for me but told that he liket the pic so much because of the glowing appearance of the car in my pic, something he had not seen yet in any picture of his car yet. So I gave him a reprint af that picture some days later and he was so thrilled with that.
Krueger outperforming all the big guns that year with a two year old car, what a thrill to see that..


Henri Greuter

[DNQ]

jeez, sorry people, I wouldn't have started this if i saw the other thread.

[Flying Panda]

Originally posted by DNQ
jeez, sorry people, I wouldn't have started this if i saw the other thread.

Don't worry about it.
This is TNF, everything thats iscussed is all in the past, and chances are, its all be said many times before

[Soapbox]

The name of the Marillion song about Donald Campbell
is "out of this world" and it is one of the most beautiful
songs I've ever heard. Hard to hold back the tears when
you know the story behind it.
Brilliant song, brilliant lyrics, brilliant band !

[Rainer Nyberg]

He wasn't just "closely connected" - he was one of their (studio?) drummers, and his stint with ATS was in 1981.

Slim never performed on stage with ABBA, but only attended a few studio sessions, that's it.
But he were a friend of the ABBA group members and that is a bigger connection than any of the studio sessions he might have attended.

During the Christmas break, Kenny Bräck performed on stage with a local group in his home region in Sweden.

[Martyj]

The Spike Jones song Henri Grueter refers to is a parody of "Dance of the Hours.”

About a year after Jim Clark died, there was an exploitative single produced in Nashville titled "The Ballad of Jimmy Clark", recorded and written by an aspiring country singer named George Mack (same name as a current day Indy car driver). This song got press and airplay in Indianapolis, and was sold in record shops. I was given a copy as a birthday present. The 45 cracked about 20 years later, but not after I had committed most of the lyrics to memory:


Here goes...(It opens and closes with a bagpipe arrangement. The rest of the ballad is a fast tempo, country arrangement with electric guitar. The singer affects a Johnny Cash style delivery).....


In the town of Duns in Scottland,
Not many years ago
Came a quiet little farmer
The world would come to know

With the spirit of a thoroughbred
speed was his middle name
With nerves of steel and a foot of lead
He drove his way to fame

(Chorus) In racing books and on the hearts of fans he left his mark
The man they called the "Flying Scott"
This man named was Jimmy Clark

He drove his first in 61
it would not be his last
He reigned at world champion
before three years had past

From the winding streets of Monaco
to Indianapolis
(CANT REMEMBER THE
NEXT LINE)

(Repeat chorus)

In '65 he crossed the pond
for the third year in a row
To race the boys at Indy
in racing's biggest show.

With Foyt and Gurney on either side
when Vidan waved the green
Jim's fearless foot went to the floor
of Chapman's sleek machine

800 hundred left turns later
a linen checkered board
Jim knew the spoils and thunder
of racing's top reward

(Repeat chorus)

(CANT REMEMBER
THE NEXT
TWO
LINES)

But at Germany, in Hockenhiem
in the spring of 68
The hand that held the checkered flag
was the cold, grim hand of fate

went off the course in blinding rain
the low-slung racer spun
The greatest driver of them all
had made his final run

And now when powerful engines roar
on racing's battlefields
All eyes will miss that Lotus
with Jimmy at the wheel

(repeat chorus)

[Ralliart]

Taped race morning - '77 Monaco GP. Jackie Stewart (announcing with Keith Jackson for ABC-TV's "Wide World of Sports" which will telecast it in the U.S. six days later) had this repartee with two British musicians:
Ringo: I'm only here because you're here.
Jackie: Is that right?
Ringo: Well, you have the room.
Jackie: Had you been to a grand prix before?
Ringo: Yes. I went to one. I went the year you won. 72?
Jackie: 71.
Ringo: 71. See, they all seem the same to me.
Jackie: Well, you were retiring at that time.
Ringo: I retired the day I was born.
George: We always retire. You retire, then you come out of retirement for a little while and then you retire again.
Jackie: What does it compare with? Does it compare at all with the music business? You know, the whole atmosphere of Monte Carlo?
George: Total combination of the music business and the racing business. I think both could help each other. And I could certainly have a Marlboro sticker on my Fender Stratocaster.
Ringo: Well, we don't know what we'd be sticking on our Stratocaster, Georgie.
George: Well, you could put it on your drums. Elf Drums.
Jackie: Who's your favorite for the race?
George: I think Jody Scheckter. If he gets away fast, he's gonna do it.
Jackie: What about you, Ringo?
Ringo: Oh, Fangio.

[Haddock]

Actually, on the subject of songs about cars...I heard something over Xmas which went something like....

"now an alpine's fine
if you've got the time
and a healy'll set you back some
a tr4 costs a little bit more
but it don't have the same attraction"
and the chorus was

"my mgb gt she's a runner now"

Sounded a little like a mellowed out Bob Mould but somehow I can't imagine him singing about classic British sports cars....

[2F-001]

Ronnie Scott's Club (famous jazz venue in London's Soho) used to sponsor a Group 2 Escort in the ETCC, and I think one of its customary drivers, Peter King, was Scott's business partner. This was around the time that Zakspeed ran an Escort for Klauses Ludwig and Neidzweiz so the Ronnie Scott car was a little overshadowed in the 2-litre class.

[petefenelon]

Originally posted by 2F-001
Ronnie Scott's Club (famous jazz venue in London's Soho) used to sponsor a Group 2 Escort in the ETCC, and I think one of its customary drivers, Peter King, was Scott's business partner. This was around the time that Zakspeed ran an Escort for Klauses Ludwig and Neidzweiz so the Ronnie Scott car was a little overshadowed in the 2-litre class.

Ronnie Scotts are still involved in racing sponsorship.



Gavin Pyper's Alfa 156, Croft BTCC, July 2002.

(a meeting notable 'cos my other half spent half an hour in the pitlane gossiping with Gavin's mum - her family and the Pypers were near-neighbours in Scotland!)

pete

[Ralliart]

Pete King was, indeed, the late Ronnie Scott's partner in the (3) nightclubs. Didn't know he raced.

[William Dale Jr]

INXS once sponsored David Clement's Group E production Suzuki in the late eighties, and they've played at Honda Indy, the Race of a Thousand Years, and have a gig scheduled for next year's Clipsal 500 in Adelaide.

US country singers Brooks & Dunn used to race the little Legends cars at Charlotte and wrote the song "Sunday Money" for Dale Earnhardt. And I think it was the NASCAR driver Dick Brooks who recorded "Wizard of the Wheel".

[Leif Snellman]

Originally posted by LittleChris
Personally I can't hear ' The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac without thinking of GP's in the late 70's / 80's / 90's. For those of you who don't know, this was the theme music to the BBC's Grand Prix coverage.

The Ventures' "Walk- Don't Run " (1964 variant) . It was the theme music for the Finnish radio sports news back in the 1970s when there was yet no F1 coverage in the Finnish TV.

[deangelis86]

Originally posted by jonpollak
I've always wondered WHO is the person that plays songs over the PA in-between sessions at the races themselves...?

They play the WORST bloddy tunes on earth!!!!
I mean gems like

..Pet Shop Boys?
Milli Vannilli?
Westlife...

YUCK
Jp

Just a tad unfair to compare the Pet Shop Boys in the same bracket as Milli Vanilli or Westlife, Jon!

Once upon a long, long time ago PSB released an album called 'Actually' which really was rather good. Although I don't like all of their stuff at least PSB have given us thought-provoking intelligent lyrics, rather than the pre-fabricated dross of Westlife and Milli Vanilli (who didn't even sing or write the songs).

[deangelis86]

Originally posted by Buford
[B. Also "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright [/B]

One damn fine tune If I do say so myself

[Garagiste]

Now that ITV have taken over in the UK, we have some bit of tat by Jamiroqui

Err, nope - that was last heard at the end of 1999. You're right about Jay Kay though.

[FredF1]

Originally posted by Soapbox
The name of the Marillion song about Donald Campbell
is "out of this world" and it is one of the most beautiful
songs I've ever heard. Hard to hold back the tears when
you know the story behind it.
Brilliant song, brilliant lyrics, brilliant band !

Is this what you mean?

Three hundred miles an hour on water
In your purpose-built machine
No one dared to call a boat
Screaming blue
Out of this world
Make history
This is your day
Blue Bird

At such speeds, things fly

[Gary C]

"now an alpine's fine
if you've got the time
and a healy'll set you back some
a tr4 costs a little bit more
but it don't have the same attraction"
and the chorus was

"my mgb gt she's a runner now"

That's Richard Thompspn's 'MGB GT'.

[Soapbox]

@Fred F1...yes, that's the song I mean. I really love this tune and Marillion in general.
But before this becomes too off topic as this isn't a progressive rock forum,
there's also a website about the rescue of Donald Campbell's Bluebird by Marillion
vocalist Steve Hogarth.
www.marillion.com/band/hogarth/bluebird.html

Cheers,
Sven
www.seasonsend.de