Car Song

Hmmm. Doesn’t sound like this little old lady drove it only to  church on Sundays. Early in 1964, there was an ad campaign from Dodge that had a little old, white-haired lady (played by Kathrn Minner) speeding down a street and sometimes a drag strip in a modified Dodge. Then she would stop and say, “Put a Dodge in your garage, Hone-ey!” She was in the pop culture consciousness. The song was written by Jan Berry, Don Altfeld, and Roger Christian. Jan and Dean recorded and released it as a in 1964 backed with “My Might G.T.O” as well as on their 1964 album The Little Old Lady from Pasadena. The song went to #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on Cash Box.

The instrumentation for “The Little Old Lady from Pasadena” was provided by the infamous session musicians of The Wrecking Crew. For this track, they included Leon Russell (piano); Tommy Tedesco, Bill Pitman, and Billy Strange (guitar); Ray Pohlman and Jimmy Bond (bass); Hal Blain and Earl Palmer (drums); and Tommy Morgan (harmonica).

Jan and Dean were William Jan Berry, and Dean Ormsby Torrence, who formed in Los Angeles and 1958. They helped to shape the California Sound and vocal surf music.

Here are the lyrics to “Little Old Lady from Pasadena” by Jan and Dean:

“It’s the little old lady from Pasadena

The little old lady from Pasadena
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go!)
Has a pretty little flower bed of white gardenias
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go!)
But parked in a rickety old garage
Is a brand new, shiny red, super-stock Dodge!

And everybody’s saying that there’s nobody meaner
Than the little old lady from Pasadena
She drives real fast and she drives real hard
She’s the terror of Colorado Boulevard
It’s the little old lady from Pasadena

If you see her on the street, don’t try to choose her
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go!)
You might drive a goer but you’ll never lose her
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go!)
Well, she’s gonna get a ticket now, sooner or later
‘Cause she can’t keep her foot off the accelerator!

And everybody’s saying that there’s nobody meaner
Than the little old lady from Pasadena
She drives real fast and she drives real hard
She’s the terror of Colorado Boulevard
It’s the little old lady from Pasadena

(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go!)
(Go granny, go granny, go granny, go!)
The guys come to race her from miles around
But she’ll give ’em a length, then she’ll shut ’em down

And everybody’s saying that there’s nobody meaner
Than the little old lady from Pasadena
She drives real fast and she drives real hard
She’s the terror of Colorado Boulevard
It’s the little old lady from Pasadena

Go granny, go granny, go granny, go!
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go!
Go granny, go granny, go granny, go!”

For another song by Jan and Dean: “Dead Man’s Curve.”

If you are interested in purchasing an album of song hits from Jan and Dean, please click on the photo below to check it out:

Check Out The Groove Pad for More 1960s Music

The Pass the Paisley Groove Pad is a resting stop, a place to chill out and listen to the featured song on the stereo. If the mood strikes you, click on the juke box to access and listen to the 50+ free online songs there. The TV has several channels, with selections updated twice a week. Every now and then, Pass the Paisley hosts an all-request of 1960s and 1970s songs for a Be-In at the juke box in the Groove Pad. Keep on truckin’. Hope you enjoyed “Little Old Lady from Pasadena” by Jan and Dean.