Palisades Park (song)
Encyclopedia
"Palisades Park" is a song written by Chuck Barris
and recorded by Freddy Cannon
. A tribute to New Jersey
's Palisades Amusement Park
, the song is an up-tempo tune led by a distinctive organ part. It also incorporates amusement park sound effects.
Barris wrote a song about an amusement and it was suggested he use the name of an amusement park as the title. One night he was in Manhattan when he looked toward the New Jersey Palisades Cliffs, on which the amusement park sat. That was when inspiration hit and the title was added. The Palisades Amusement Park closed on September 12, 1971.
Released by Swan Records
as a B-side to "June, July and August," "Palisades Park" broke in when a Flint, Michigan
radio DJ played it by mistake. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
on March 12, 1962, the biggest hit of Cannon's career.
It was covered by Shelley Fabares
on her 1962 album The Things We Did Last Summer
, Gary Lewis and the Playboys on their 1965 album A Session With Gary Lewis And the Playboys, The Beach Boys
on their 1976 album 15 Big Ones
, and The Ramones on their 1989 album, Brain Drain
.
Though never officially recorded and released, the song was also performed by Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band on their Tunnel of Love Express Tour
in 1988.
The song was also performed live by The Stompers
, a Boston-based band with members from Lynn, MA (Freddy Cannon's home town) beginning in the late 1970s, but it was only recorded by the band on a live album released in 1994.
New York City Garage Punk
band The Devil Dogs covered the song for their 1990 album, Big Beef Bonanza.
Cannon recorded "Kennywood Park
" (which, unlike Palisades Park before it, is still in operation) in the mid-1980s, a reworking of the song about the Pittsburgh amusement park of the same name. It was issued as a limited edition 45 vinyl single.
Cannon also used a version of the song as a jingle for Boston's Oldies station WODS-FM, Oldies 103 in the 90's (Freddie's hometown is Lynn, Mass).
More recently "Palisades Park" was featured in the films Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
, picturing the life of the song's writer Chuck Barris, and X-Men: First Class
, where it was used during a scene set in 1962, the year of the song's initial release.
Chuck Barris
Charles Hirsch "Chuck" Barris is an American game show producer, film director and presenter best known for hosting The Gong Show and creating The Dating Game. Barris, a survivor of lung cancer, is also an author and claims to have worked for the CIA.-Early career:Barris was born in Oakland, New...
and recorded by Freddy Cannon
Freddy Cannon
Frederick Anthony Picariello Jr. , known as Freddy Cannon, is an American rock and roll singer, whose biggest international hits included "Tallahassee Lassie", "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans", and "Palisades Park".-Biography:...
. A tribute to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
's Palisades Amusement Park
Palisades Amusement Park
Palisades Amusement Park was an amusement park located in Bergen County, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City. It was situated atop the New Jersey Palisades lying partly in Cliffside Park and partly in Fort Lee. The park operated from 1898 until 1971, remaining one of the most...
, the song is an up-tempo tune led by a distinctive organ part. It also incorporates amusement park sound effects.
Barris wrote a song about an amusement and it was suggested he use the name of an amusement park as the title. One night he was in Manhattan when he looked toward the New Jersey Palisades Cliffs, on which the amusement park sat. That was when inspiration hit and the title was added. The Palisades Amusement Park closed on September 12, 1971.
Released by Swan Records
Swan Records
Swan Records was a mid-20th century United States based record label, founded in 1957, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It had a subsidiary label called Lawn Records....
as a B-side to "June, July and August," "Palisades Park" broke in when a Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
radio DJ played it by mistake. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
on March 12, 1962, the biggest hit of Cannon's career.
It was covered by Shelley Fabares
Shelley Fabares
Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. Fabares is known for her roles as Donna Reed's oldest child, Mary Stone, on The Donna Reed Show , and as Craig T. Nelson's love interest and eventual wife, Christine Armstrong Fox, on the sitcom Coach. She also was Elvis...
on her 1962 album The Things We Did Last Summer
The Things We Did Last Summer (album)
The Things We Did Last Summer is the second studio pop album by singer and actress Shelley Fabares released in 1962 on Colpix Records. It was available in both mono and stereo, catalogue numbers CP-431 and SCP-431....
, Gary Lewis and the Playboys on their 1965 album A Session With Gary Lewis And the Playboys, The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
on their 1976 album 15 Big Ones
15 Big Ones
-Singles:* "Rock And Roll Music" b/w "T M Song" , 24 May 1976 US #5; UK #36* "It's O.K." b/w "Had to Phone Ya" , 9 August 1976 US #29* "Everyone's In Love With You" b/w "Susie Cincinnati" , 1 November 1976...
, and The Ramones on their 1989 album, Brain Drain
Brain Drain (album)
- Personnel :* Joey Ramone - lead vocals* Johnny Ramone - guitar* Dee Dee Ramone - bass, backing vocals* Marky Ramone - drums- Production :* Jean Beauvoir - producer* Bill Laswell - producer* Daniel Rey - producer, musical coordinator...
.
Though never officially recorded and released, the song was also performed by Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band on their Tunnel of Love Express Tour
Tunnel of Love Express Tour
The Tunnel of Love Express was a concert tour featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that took place in 1988. It followed by four and a half months the release of Springsteen's 1987 album, Tunnel of Love.-Itinerary:...
in 1988.
The song was also performed live by The Stompers
The Stompers
The Stompers are a Massachusetts-based rock band that formed in East Boston, Massachusetts in 1977. The group formed after lead vocalist/guitarist Sal Baglio and drummer Mark Cuccinello were joined by Stephen Gilligan on bass and Dave Friedman on keyboards...
, a Boston-based band with members from Lynn, MA (Freddy Cannon's home town) beginning in the late 1970s, but it was only recorded by the band on a live album released in 1994.
New York City Garage Punk
Garage punk
Garage punk is a fusion of garage rock and punk rock. It is fast-paced lo-fi music characterized by a dirty, choppy guitar sound—usually played by bands who are on independent record labels or who are unsigned...
band The Devil Dogs covered the song for their 1990 album, Big Beef Bonanza.
Cannon recorded "Kennywood Park
Kennywood
Kennywood is an amusement park located in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. The park first opened in 1898 as a "trolley park" at the end of the Monongahela Street Railway. The park was purchased in 1906 by F. W. Henninger and Andrew McSwigan and thus began the Kennywood...
" (which, unlike Palisades Park before it, is still in operation) in the mid-1980s, a reworking of the song about the Pittsburgh amusement park of the same name. It was issued as a limited edition 45 vinyl single.
Cannon also used a version of the song as a jingle for Boston's Oldies station WODS-FM, Oldies 103 in the 90's (Freddie's hometown is Lynn, Mass).
More recently "Palisades Park" was featured in the films Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind is a 2002 biographical spy film depicting the life of popular game show host and producer Chuck Barris, who claimed to have also been an assassin for the Central Intelligence Agency...
, picturing the life of the song's writer Chuck Barris, and X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class
X-Men: First Class is a comic book series published by Marvel Comics starring the X-Men.-Publication history:The original series was an eight-issue limited series. It began in September 2006 and ended in April 2007. It was written by Jeff Parker and penciled by Roger Cruz...
, where it was used during a scene set in 1962, the year of the song's initial release.