Boston is the home of the four letter word that means rock, WBCN

August 21, 2010 10:25 AM

WBCN Boston Montage. I'm having a hard time identifying a couple of the songs that mention Boston in the old WBCN bumper they used to run (back when WBCN was actually in Boston). I have a YouTube clip and a list of songs in the extended...

YouTube Video with the songs

"This is WBCN. Boston" - DJ
"We were just another band out of Boston" - Boston, "Rock 'n' Roll Band"
"In Boston Massachusetts where she lived" - UNKNOWN
"Please come to Boston for the springtime" - Dave Loggins, "Please Come to Boston"
"People say in Boston, even beans do it" - Billie Holiday, "Let's Do It"
"Boston, Boston, Boston" - UNKNOWN
"Back up to Boston" - Rolling Stones, "Memory Motel"
"Boston at last" - UNKNOWN
"He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston" - Kingston Trio, "Charlie on the MTA"
"Boston if you please, Massachusetts" - UNKNOWN
"Boston Massachusetts" - James Brown, "Night Train"
"Sweet things from Boston" - Steely Dan, "Hey Nineteen"
"Boston! Boston rocks. (Boston rocks). Boston rocks" - UNKNOWN
"But they'll be rockin' in Boston" - Chuck Berry, "Sweet Little 16"
"From Stockbridge to Boston" - James Taylor, "Sweet Baby James"
"On the blue blood streets of Boston" - Bob Seger, "Fire Down Below"
" down in Boston town" - UNKNOWN
"'Frisco to the apple to Seattle back to Boston" - UNKNOWN
"Boston, Charleston, Dayton, Louisiana" - Johnny Cash, "I've Been Everywhere"
"Bring back, the Boston rag" - Steely Dan, "Boston Rag"
"There was something in the air, there always is, in Boston" - Alice Ghostley, "Boston Beguine"
"We've only got one last thing to ask you Boston, you heard of the Boston monkey?" - UNKNOWN
"well you heard about the Boston" - Rolling Stones, "Midnight Rambler"
"Ow! Boston you're my home" - Standells, "Dirty Water"
"Boston is the home of the four letter word that means rock, WBCN" - DJ

posted by inthe80s to media & arts (26 answers total)

"Boston at last" is Elton John's song Holiday Inn
posted by jessamyn at 10:34 AM on August 21, 2010

The first unknown one is the Byrds, I think the tune is called "Boston."
posted by Dee Xtrovert at 10:36 AM on August 21, 2010

"Boston if you please" is Anita O'Day's song Massachusetts.
posted by jessamyn at 10:36 AM on August 21, 2010

Boston Monkey is likely the J Geils band and a neat story besides.
posted by jessamyn at 10:42 AM on August 21, 2010 [1 favorite]

"'Frisco to the apple to Seattle back to Boston" - The Stompers - Coast to coast
posted by D_I at 11:36 AM on August 21, 2010

Boston Monkey is likely the J Geils band and a neat story besides.

I know I'm not answering the question, but, wow, that IS a neat story!
posted by ericb at 11:36 AM on August 21, 2010

"Down in Boston town" is Why-O by Garland Jeffries (1977).
[last verse:]
Why there trouble down in Boston town
Why there trouble South in Louisville
Why there trouble up in Detroit now
Why there trouble out in L.A. now
Why there trouble here in New York town
Trouble in my home town
Trouble in my home town
Trouble in my home town
Trouble in my home town
posted by beagle at 11:49 AM on August 21, 2010

I take it back. Shouldve listened to the video.
posted by beagle at 12:01 PM on August 21, 2010

Boston Monkey is likely the J Geils band and a neat story besides.

I know I'm not answering the question, but, wow, that IS a neat story!

sounds like a true "legend" to me but thanks for the song ID, as well as the other ones people have spotted so far.
posted by inthe80s at 12:34 PM on August 21, 2010

According to a former BCN DJ, "The Boston Monkey lyric comes from a J. Geils song. There is a song called the Boston Beguine by Alice Ghostley which contains some of those phrases."

If you need more, let me know and I'll ask.
posted by dzaz at 12:41 PM on August 21, 2010

Just these three left

"Boston, Boston, Boston" - UNKNOWN
"Boston! Boston rocks. (Boston rocks). Boston rocks" - UNKNOWN
"(something?) down in Boston town" - UNKNOWN
posted by inthe80s at 12:50 PM on August 21, 2010

The J. Geils Band song is called "Hard Drivin'" and is the live version of the song.
posted by inthe80s at 12:56 PM on August 21, 2010

I've got an email out to the producer of that piece; let's see what he remembers.
posted by dzaz at 1:18 PM on August 21, 2010

The 'Boston!' that you have listed as "Boston! Boston rocks. (Boston rocks). Boston rocks" is a separate song. It's Billy Idol's 1982 Hot in the City. He made several versions for different markets with the city name yelled out in the middle. Most places got him yelling New York, we got him yelling Boston.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 3:48 PM on August 21, 2010

From a BCN DJ:

"Boston! Boston rocks. (Boston rocks). Boston rocks" is from a WBCN concert of The Ian Hunter Band, date 6/25/79 from the Paradise Theater, Boston MA. The song was "Cleveland Rocks" but he would sing it with different city names in select cities like Boston."
posted by dzaz at 4:20 PM on August 21, 2010

Thanks dzaz, I new that had to be something live... I'm sure I'll never find that one online.

I had Billie Holiday down for "Let's Do It" but my wife pointed out it was definitely not her. Some digging around leads us to believe it's actually Ella Fitzgerald.
posted by inthe80s at 4:41 PM on August 21, 2010

This from current CBS Adult Rock Programming VP and former BCNer:

"Actually, the original title is "England Rocks," which first appeared as a B-side, then later included on Ian's 3rd solo album, Overnight Angels. With Ian moving to the States, he and his label wanted to acknowledge the support they'd historically received from the perennial Rolling Stone Readers Poll-winning Cleveland station WMMS (who annually instructed their listeners to stuff the ballot boxes until RS eventually discontinued the Radio Station category). So a couple of years later, an "Americanized" version of the song was stripped onto the 1979 domestic release of his acclaimed solo LP, You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic (pretty cool title, to boot). The song later made quite a bit of loot for Ian when it was used for the Cleveland-based TV sit-com, The Drew Carey Show.
More info than anyone really needs. Wish I could help with the rest."

Those kids LOVE their music trivia.
posted by dzaz at 5:19 PM on August 21, 2010

I'm not sure whose version of "I've Been Everywhere" is being used either. Kinda sounds like Johnny Cash, but not really.
posted by inthe80s at 7:13 PM on August 21, 2010

What you have as "(something?) down in Boston town" - UNKNOWN
sounds to me like "Modern sound, modern Boston sound" from Roadrunner by Jonathon
Richman but so far I can't find a version online that substitutes "Boston" for "Massachusetts".
posted by aninom at 12:42 AM on August 22, 2010

aninom I think you're definitely onto something there. I listened to both version of the Modern Lovers "Roadrunner" from their first album, and he just sticks with Massachusetts in both. must be another live version.
posted by inthe80s at 7:10 AM on August 22, 2010

aninom - found it! it was Jonathan Richman solo, with the song titled "Roadrunner Twice". I have it on a New Music Express compilation, not sure which of his original albums it was on.

So that just leaves that last "Boston! Boston! Boston!" clip no one seems to remember.
posted by inthe80s at 7:39 AM on August 22, 2010

Definitely Ella by the way, from the Cole Porter songbook on Verve, probably the greatest album ever.
posted by CunningLinguist at 8:47 AM on August 22, 2010

Former BCNer thinks: "“Boston, Boston, Boston" is Freddy Cannon, “High School USA (Boston version).
posted by dzaz at 11:54 AM on August 22, 2010

High School USA

"High School USA" was by Tommy Facenda. I found a copy of the Boston version, but didn't hear anyone say Boston like in the clip.

Freddy Cannon
Freddy Cannon did a song called "My Home Town, Boston" and I found that on Youtube, and that didn't sound like it either.
posted by inthe80s at 3:50 PM on August 22, 2010

"Boston, Boston, Boston..."

Former BCner says it comes from the stage show "1776," in the scene before the song "Molasses to Rum."
posted by dzaz at 11:12 AM on August 24, 2010

It's in the song "Molasses to Rum" and it's the 1969 Broadway version not the 1972 film one. I just found the soundtrack and verified it. Awesome, that's all of them!
posted by inthe80s at 5:53 AM on August 25, 2010