Monday, October 09, 2006

Boeing In Pop Music

I recently drove past a billboard featuring the new Boeing 787 which got me thinking (and later googling) for how many pop songs include references to Boeing planes.

Does anyone know?

I was, and still am, stuck at the obvious ones. "Travellin' Band", (737, CCR, and have you heard Jerry Lee Lewis's new version of that song? Woah.) "Jet Airliner" (707, Steve Miller Band) and I vaguely remember a country song and it had to do with a 747 (I think.)

Only three songs from Pop's 50 year history?

My Googlefu was also not of much help, except it threw up this insanely addictive word game based on something called "hapax legomenon" (link to Snopes.com messageboard), where another tortured soul like me confesses to wondering about this same question about Boeing planes in pop lyrics.

And where are the 717s, 727s, 757s, 767 or the 777s in pop music?

There's gotta be at least a dozen more pop/country/rock songs praising/condemning life on the road or about a tearful farewell to a lover at the airport or a song about flying back home.

List them, please. I need to know.

3 comments:

Salil said...

I've heard a handful of 'life on the road' songs (best of which was Metallica's Wherever I May Roam, btw) - never heard a single Boeing reference.

For that matter, no Airbus reference. What's the count on those?

km said...

Salil, Airbus is so post-Pop. I've heard at least one song with a DC-10 reference (can't remember the title or the band now)

Speaking of road songs, Metallica's cover of Bob Seger's "Turn The Page" was no slouch either. A true rock and roll road song.

Salil said...

Yep, Turn the Page kicked ass.

I just absolutely love the guitar work on Wherever I May Roam, hence why that's my favourite. Not to forget the awesome electric sitar intro.