(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66

1946 single by the King Cole Trio the Nelson Riddle song Route 66 (TV series)#Theme song August 2026 (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66 Kingcoletrioroute66.jpg Sheet music cover single the King Cole Trio Everyone Is Sayin' Hello Again (Why Must We Say Goodbye) 1946 04 22 March 16, 1946 Radio Recorders, Los Angeles Rhythm and blues 2:57 Capitol Bobby Troup The Frim-Fram Sauce 1946 You Call It Madness (But I Call It Love) 1946 "(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66" is a popular rhythm and blues song, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup. The lyrics relate a westward roadtrip on U.S. Route 66, a highway that traversed the western two-thirds of the U.S. from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California. The song became a standard, with several renditions appearing on the record charts. Background Bobby Troup got the idea for the song on a cross-country drive from Pennsylvania to California.Route 66: The Highway and Its People Susan Croce Kelly 1990 University of Oklahoma Press 148–149 978-0806122915 6_ljEVHKQMwC 149 yes Troup wanted to try his hand as a Hollywood songwriter, so he and his wife, Cynthia, packed up their 1941 Buick and headed west. The trip began on US 40 and continued along US 66 to the California coast. Troup initially considered writing a tune about US 40, but Cynthia suggested the title "Get Your Kicks on Route 66". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqjioHPJDZg&t=25s Bobby Troupe Writes Get Your Kicks on Route 66 audio recording (1985, from a program in 2000) Ron Phillips (via YouTube) Feb 8, 2018 Oct 16, 2025 The song was started during the ten-day trip and finished after consulting a map in Los Angeles. The lyrics mention several cities and towns encountered along the way; Cynthia later commented: "What I can't really believe is that he doesn't have Albuquerque in the song." Nat King Cole original version yes right U.S. Route 66.map Location of U.S. Route 66 Nat King Cole, with the King Cole Trio, first recorded the song in 1946 at Radio Recorders in Los Angeles. Capitol Records released it as a single, which reached number three on Billboard magazine's Race Records chart and number eleven on its broader singles chart. Whitburn Joel Joel Whitburn Top R&B Singles 1942–1988 1988 Record Research 0-89820-068-7 94 https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whit/page/94 Cole later re-recorded the tune for the album After Midnight (1956) and The Nat King Cole Story (1961). Other recorded renditions The song has become a standard and has been recorded by numerous artists: Bing Crosby with the Andrews Sisters recorded a version, which reached number 14 on the Billboard chart in 1946.Whitburn Joel Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890–1954 1986 Record Research Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin 0-89820-083-0 113 https://archive.org/details/joelwpopmemories00whit/page/113 Bobby Troup recorded a revised version of the song for his 1957 Liberty album, "Do-Re-Mi." In 1964, the Rolling Stones included a version on their self-titled debut album. In a song review, critic Richie Unterberger called it "the most famous rock version of the song... one of the best songs on the Rolling Stones' debut album, and one of their most popular in-concert numbers on their early tours". https://www.allmusic.com/song/route-66-mt0011910044 The Rolling Stones: 'Route 66' – Song Review Unterberger Richie Richie Unterberger AllMusic March 27, 2015 In 1965, a live version was included on the U.K. EP Got Live If You Want It! and in the U.S. on their fifth LP December's Children (And Everybody's). The group learned the song from a version that Chuck Berry recorded for his 1961 album New Juke Box Hits, although Unterberger also notes that a version by Perry Como on his 1959 RCA Victor album Como Swings was a source for the lyrics. In 1982, a version by the Manhattan Transfer reached number 78 on the Hot 100. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955–2012 Whitburn Joel Joel Whitburn 2013 Record Research 532 It also earned the group a Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group https://www.grammy.com/artists/manhattan-transfer/7826 Grammy Awards Results for Manhattan Transfer Grammy.com 1982 June 16, 2021 and was included on the soundtrack album for the film Sharky's Machine (1981). https://www.allmusic.com/album/sharkys-machine-mw0000948904 Original Soundtrack: Sharky's MachineReview AllMusic June 16, 2021 Billy Bragg recorded an anglicised version of the song titled "A13 (Trunk Road to the Sea)" for a John Peel session in 1985. It uses the original music, but the landmark cities are replaced with English towns along the route of the A13, with Bragg inviting listeners to "Go motoring, on the A-thirteen". According to Bragg, he wrote the lyrics while playing with his band Riff Raff in 1977: while the band played "Route 66" as part of their set, Bragg "objected to singing about these places that (he) didn't know... there's a tradition of driving down the A13 to the glory of Southend. Growing up in Barking, that was the promised land, in quite a Springsteenish way". The song was originally meant to be released on Bragg's 1983 debut album, Life's a Riot with Spy vs Spy; however, it was ultimately not included due to problems getting permission to use the music of "Route 66". It was finally released commercially on the bonus disc of the 2003 compilation Must I Paint You a Picture? The Essential Billy Bragg.https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/aug/25/popandrock Drive-Time Blues de Lisle Tim Tim de Lisle August 25, 2006 Theguardian.com July 28, 2017 A version by Depeche Mode in a medley with "Behind the Wheel" reached number 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in May 1988. https://www.billboard.com/artist/depeche-mode/ Depeche Mode: Chart History – Hot 100 Billboard.com March 16, 2023 Michael Martin Murphey recorded the song for his 1989 album Land of Enchantment. Released as a single in 1990, it peaked at number 67 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.Whitburn Joel Hot Country Songs 1944–2012 Record Research 234 2013 978-0-89820-203-8 The 2006 Disney/Pixar animated film Cars includes renditions by Chuck Berry and John Mayer. https://www.allmusic.com/album/cars-original-soundtrack-mw0000768029 Phares Heather Cars [Original Soundtrack]Review AllMusic March 22, 2021 Mayer's version was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance. https://www.grammy.com/artists/john-mayer/14891 Grammy Award Results for John Mayer Grammy.com January 9, 2020 See also Billboard Most-Played Race Records of 1946 References External links FdER71cjmKA "Route 66" audio by King Cole Trio Q131ZJ6YkG0 "Route 66" audio by the Rolling Stones 11TyAd2fkho "Route 66" audio by Chuck Berry Partial list of recorded versions at Secondhandsongs Category:1946 songs Category:Nat King Cole songs Category:Bing Crosby songs Category:Chuck Berry songs Category:The Rolling Stones songs Category:Depeche Mode songs Category:Michael Martin Murphey songs Category:Songs written by Bobby Troup Category:List songs Category:U.S. Route 66 Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Category:Capitol Records singles Category:Songs about roads Category:Billy Bragg songs Category:1982 singles