'Charlie on the MTA' not the only song about the local subways

By adamg on Fri, 05/17/2024 - 9:53am

Tom Lehrer - The Subway Song

No, of course we're not referring to "Skinhead on the MBTA," which is, basically an updated Charlie (oi, oi, oi!). In 1965, Tom Lehrer went on WTBS, back when that was still the MIT student radio station, and sang a brief ditty he composed back in 1944 about what we now call the Red Line.

Via Nonelvis.

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Entertainment

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Red Line

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Comments

Just the other day I

By xyz on Fri, 05/17/2024 - 10:03am.

Just the other day I remembered this tune exists: "T DJ" by Freezepop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqVSNSZqC4Y

Almost sounds like a song about DJ Nighttrain

By adamg on Fri, 05/17/2024 - 11:10am.

Lyrics.

DJ Nighttrain.

There was nothing better than

By Est.1985 on Fri, 05/17/2024 - 12:40pm.

There was nothing better than chugging a 40oz in front of Little Stevie's and yelling "what up Nighttrain!" as he walked out of Looney Tunes

Historical fact

By anon on Fri, 05/17/2024 - 10:34am.

The song references "Washington" at the end which is the old name for Downtown Crossing.

Fantastic song, and something I hear in my head every time I ride the northern Red Line

Old Names

By anon on Fri, 05/17/2024 - 12:14pm.

In the 70s, my late grandmother always referred to T stations by their earlier names. "Devonshire" for State, "Atlantic" for Aquarium, "Scollay Square" for Government Center. The aforementioned "Washington" fro DTX. Granted, they had only been relatively recently renamed at the time, but I chuckled about it, thinking it just so old fashioned. Damned if I don't do the same thing now myself. Always talking about legendary concerts I saw at "The Music Hall". I even remember concerts I saw at the Orpheum during that brief time in the early 70s when it was called "The Aquarius". What goes around comes around.

It wasn't renamed Downtown

By anon on Fri, 05/17/2024 - 3:31pm.

It wasn't renamed Downtown Crossing until 1987.

Several have changed more than once

By Ari O on Sat, 05/18/2024 - 3:56am.

Massachusetts-->Auditorium-->Hynes
Winter/Summer/Washington-->Washington-->DTX

And others IIRC