Music for the Velorution

The purpose of this blog is to share ways to inspire people to leave their cars at home and bike and walk more through the use of music, primarily musical parody.  This blog will post the revised lyrics to popular songs that have been changed to support the concepts of complete streets, reduced consumption of fossil fuels, and the joys of bike riding and walking.

Parody uses the original lyrics, meaning and context of the song to inspire the new lyrics; it does not merely add new lyrics to an existing tune. With that in mind, people are encouraged to not only post their own versions of song parodies but also to share the ways and venues where these  songs have been used to  encourage our fellow citizens of planet Earth to use sustainable transportation.

This blog can also expand to have original songs (I only have one, click Listen Now – Frame the Debate). This blog also needs a collaborator. If you are interested in this or any other aspect of this concept, you may contact me privately at Musicforthevelorution@gmail.com.

These are the songs that have been written/parodied so far,  listed below by Song Title – and the  Song They Are Based On. Click on the song title to the right for the lyrics.

These songs have been recorded:

1. “Bicycle Riding’s (not just for play)”  to the tune of “Oliver’s Army”
2. “Pedalling in the Wind”  to the tune of “Blowing in the Wind”
3. “This Lane is Your Lane, This Lane is My Lane”…to the tune of … isn’t it obvious?
4. “Share the Road Jack” to the tune of “Hit the Road Jack”
5. “I’ll be Riding Right There”  to the tune of  “If you miss me at the back of the bus” (from Peter Seeger’s 1963 Carnegie Hall concert)
6. “These Bikes Were Made for Riding” to the tune of: “These Boots Were Made For Walking”
7. “Frame the Debate” (original)

Not yet recorded-but still available for karaoke (if you record, please let me know):

1. Gallon of Gas to the tune of “Bottle of Wine” by The Fireballs

2. “If You Want To Be Happy For The Rest Of Your Life” , to the tune of Same (Never Make A Pretty Woman Your Wife)”

3.  “Only a Biker”to the tune of Only the Lonely by Roy Orbison

4. BIKE BIKE BIKE to the tune of “Bye Bye Bye” by N’Sync

5. Oops, they did it again to the tune of …Same…/Britney Spears

6. Pedestrian Girl…… to the tune of ……Material Girl / Madonna

7. Bicycling Hero to the tune of “Working Class Hero” by John Lennon

8. Santa Baby to the tune of same

9 . Minority to the tune of same Green Day

10. All I need is a Bicycle to the tune of All I need is a Miracle by Mike and the Mechanics

11. Stop Making Carbon to the tune of Stop Your Sobbing, byThe Kinks

12. You Don’t’ Own the Road to the tune of You Don’t’ Own Me / Lesley Gore

13. I love bicycling to the tune of I love Rock n Roll by Joan Jett

14. Slime Time to the tune of Prime Time by The Tubes

15. He’s Always an Asshole to Me (about soccer not bicycling ) to the tune of She’s Always a Woman to Me by Billy Joel

16. Ride On to the tune of Dream On by Aerosmith

Lyrics in progress -to be posted here when the lyrics are  finished

17. No Matter What to the tune of same Badfinger

18. All for Cars to the tune of All for you Sister Hazel

19. Struck by a Truck to the tune of Thick as a Brick by Jethro Tull

20. It’s not Unusual to the tune of same/ Tom Jones

21. Feel like a bicyclist, to the tune of Walk like an Egyptian by  the Bangles

22. Let’s Hang on to the tune of same Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

Lyrics By Others:

1. Shift Shift  to the tune of Beep Beep by The Playmates, 1958 (lyrics by Joe Stafford, 1999)