# "Palisades Park": help me out, people- this is NOT and obscure song, am I right? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 18, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759 "2009-12-18T17:37:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/21 "2009-12-18T18:41:28Z")
It used to be common on oldies stations, at least up to around 1990. Subsequently I found an oldies station that played a lot more 50’s R&B stuff. When that station died and I had to go looking around again, I found that most oldies stations barely dipped into the 60’s anymore. So, I suspect a lot of stuff is slipping into the memory hole now. Recently, I discovered that a co-worker of mine didn’t recognize a picture of Buddy Holly. If _Palisades Park_ is vanishing from collective memory, then _Way Down Yonder in New Orleans_ and _Transister Sister_ must be gone already. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/22 "2009-12-18T18:44:43Z")
I’m 39. Recall hearing this song on oldies radio frequently throughout the '70s and '80s. I don’t think I’ve heard it once in the last twenty years, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/23 "2009-12-18T18:55:05Z")
I know it. I’m 31 and grew up west of the Mississippi. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/24 "2009-12-18T19:02:12Z")
1. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it, though it’s hard to be sure, as it doesn’t really sound that distinctive. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/25 "2009-12-18T19:04:58Z")
I know it. I’m 39, east of the Mississippi, and have never heard the Ramones version. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/26 "2009-12-18T19:07:00Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > If _Palisades Park_ is vanishing from collective memory, then _Way Down Yonder in New Orleans_ and _Transister Sister_ must be gone already. Not to mention _Abigail Beecher_: “Hey, everybody get out of the street now I hear the roar of an XKE now Sloppy sweater and pony tail And the cop on the corner is turnin’ pale Whoo! It’s Abigail Beecher, our history teacher” ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/27 "2009-12-18T19:13:55Z")
> [@Johnny\_Angel](#): > > If _Palisades Park_ is vanishing from collective memory, then _Way Down Yonder in New Orleans_ and _Transister Sister_ must be gone already. _Way Down Yonder in New Orleans_ came out in 1922. Freddy did it a favor in '59. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/28 "2009-12-18T19:17:19Z")
> [@Labdad](#): > > Not to mention _Abigail Beecher_ Wow! I didn’t know this one, but one look at those lyrics and I went running to YouTube . . . . . . this song kicks ass!!! Thank you for sharing! Good responses here. Without doing the math it seems close to 50/50. Interesting to compare these comments: [QUOTE=ArchiveGuy] . . . it’s instantly recognizable from the production effects and whimsical, circular melody. \ Maybe semi-obscure, but a song that, once heard, you’re unlikely to ever forget. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Nametag] I don’t think I’ve ever heard it, though it’s hard to be sure, as it doesn’t really sound that distinctive. [/QUOTE] Such different impressions from each listening to the same song. Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/29 "2009-12-18T19:20:58Z")
> [@Motorgirl](#): > > Born 1970. > > Knew if first from the Ramones, and experienced the original afterward. Same answer here. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/30 "2009-12-18T19:27:49Z")
Californian here: I know it–first heard it in 1971, I think–but have only heard it a very few times in my life. Not something that was ever a staple of any oldies station I’ve ever heard. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/31 "2009-12-18T19:34:42Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Such different impressions from each listening to the same song. Interesting. Well, I think it’s the difference between listening to a song for the first time and knowing it quite well (even from a nostalgic haze). Sampling audio sounds and real world effects is more normal now, but having the calliope bridge and the rollercoaster audio made for a pretty distinctive sound back then. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/32 "2009-12-18T19:45:40Z")
I’ve never owned a recording of it, but I know it well from the radio. I’m 45, and have lived within a few miles of the Pacific most all of my radio-listening life. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/33 "2009-12-18T20:10:03Z")
41 years old, never lived anywhere that didn’t have “Carolina” in the name, stayed pretty current on popular music since before I could talk through the mid-to-late 80s, and this song (I also Googled the lyrics) rings no bells for me at all. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/34 "2009-12-18T20:11:11Z")
I know the song well, but I’m also in my late-40s and like old music. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/35 "2009-12-18T20:13:10Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > It doesn’t get played much on oldies stations around here (not anymore, anyway; since “oldies” usually means Beatles and beyond), but it’s instantly recognizable from the production effects and whimsical, circular melody. It was used to charming effect in _Confessions of a Dangerous Mind_ (the movie “about” Barris), and I had to admit that was the first time I’d heard it in ages–perhaps since I was a kid. > > Maybe semi-obscure, but a song that, once heard, you’re unlikely to ever forget. This is my memory of the song as well. I’m 28 and I remember hearing it on oldies stations all the time when I was a little kid. Then it disappeared and I didn’t hear it again until _Confessions of a Dangerous Mind_, but it instantly came back to me as a song I “know.” ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/36 "2009-12-18T20:16:56Z")
I was born in 1966 and I knew the song even before I read Chuck’s book. I was surprised to find out that he had written it. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/37 "2009-12-18T20:21:27Z")
I only know it from one of those 80s compilation commercials a la “Freedom Rock” (hell, it might have BEEN Freedom Rock for all I remember), where they play the medley of songs while the titles scroll by. I can still hear it in my mind: “At Palisades Park - A thumb goes up, a car goes by, it’s nearly 1 a.m. and here am I Hitchin’ a riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide - Indian Lake is a scene you should make with your little one - Undercover angels, midnight tennesee - The night chicago dieeeeed” etc. I’m probably misremembering parts of it but you get the idea. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/38 "2009-12-18T20:22:14Z")
I was born in 1962. I didn’t fully recognize the name, but did know the song once I heard it. It’s not a song I hear a lot, but might be okay with some better sound quality. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/39 "2009-12-18T20:24:16Z")
Born in 1965, grew up in the Midwest. Know this song, though not well, but I’m a fan of old-style rock. I don’t think I’ve heard the song in many years; most radio stations that play the “oldies” format don’t go back that far anymore. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759/40 "2009-12-18T20:25:17Z")
I was born in the late '50s, and I am familiar with the song - but i doubt I would have paid enough attention to it to remember it today, if not for the fact that when I was a kid I heard the radio ads for the actual Palisades Park amusement park. When I hear the song, I pay just a bit more attention because of that memory. I can see why someone who didn’t grow up in that location or era wouldn’t be familiar with the song. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/palisades-park-help-me-out-people-this-is-not-and-obscure-song-am-i-right/521759.md?page=3)