The Little Old Lady from Pasadena
Encyclopedia
"The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" is a song written by Don Altfeld, Jan Berry and Roger Christian, and recorded by 1960s American pop singers, Jan and Dean
. The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100
chart in 1964. Jan and Dean were known for their music of the 1960s surf era with songs like "Dead Man's Curve
" and "Surf City
".
The song was performed live by the Beach Boys at Sacramento Municipal Auditorium on August 1, 1964 for inclusion on their No.1 album Beach Boys Concert
. The Beach Boys, and particularly Brian Wilson, who co-wrote several of Jan & Dean's biggest surf hits, had supported Jan & Dean in the recording studio to initiate them in the surf music genre. This Beach Boys 'cover' track entered the Philippines top 10 in February 1966, as cited by Billboard.
. The trend was accelerated by the Dust Bowl
, the Great Depression
and World War II
. Since men tended to die earlier, Pasadena became known for its high percentage of elderly widows. As political columnist and language expert William Safire
has noted, the phrase "little old ladies in tennis shoes" was used in the 1960s to refer to social and political conservatives in Southern California.
Part of this lore was that many an elderly man who died in Pasadena would leave his widow with a powerful car that she rarely if ever drove, such as an old Buick Roadmaster
, or a 50-some-odd Cadillac
, a vintage Ford, an old Packard
, Studebaker
, DeSoto
, or a La Salle. Used car salesmen in California, so the story went, would tell prospective buyers that the previous owner of a vehicle was "a little old lady from Pasadena who only drove it to church on Sundays," thus suggesting the car had little wear. This joke became part of the material of some comedians based in Los Angeles (notably Johnny Carson
, who often used it on his frequent trips to tape The Tonight Show
in L.A. before settling there permanently), and because of television, the phrase "little old lady from Pasadena" became familiar to a national audience.
From this premise came the comic song, about a little old lady from Pasadena who had a hot "Super Stock Dodge
" a 1964 Dodge Polara
or Dodge 330
in her garage. (These vehicles had low production number "Max Wedge" (Maximum Performance Wedge Engine) lightweight race specials built in 1964 for drag racing. These are highly collectible today.) The twist was that unlike in the usual story, this little old lady not only drove the hot car, but was a peerless street racer.
Jan and Dean
Jan and Dean were a rock and roll duo, popular from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s, consisting of William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence...
. The song reached number three 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...
chart in 1964. Jan and Dean were known for their music of the 1960s surf era with songs like "Dead Man's Curve
Dead Man's Curve (song)
"Dead Man's Curve" is a 1964 hit song by Jan and Dean detailing a teen street race gone awry. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart....
" and "Surf City
Surf City (song)
"Surf City" is a surf song which, as recorded by Jan and Dean, was a #1 hit record in July 1963 for two weeks.The first draft of the song, with the working title "Goody Connie Won't You Come Back Home", was written by Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. He gave it to Jan Berry and Dean Torrence of Jan...
".
The song was performed live by the Beach Boys at Sacramento Municipal Auditorium on August 1, 1964 for inclusion on their No.1 album Beach Boys Concert
Beach Boys Concert
Beach Boys Concert is a live album by The Beach Boys, released in 1964. It is their seventh album in all, and their third alone in the same year...
. The Beach Boys, and particularly Brian Wilson, who co-wrote several of Jan & Dean's biggest surf hits, had supported Jan & Dean in the recording studio to initiate them in the surf music genre. This Beach Boys 'cover' track entered the Philippines top 10 in February 1966, as cited by Billboard.
Premise of the song
"The little old lady from Pasadena" was a kind of folk archetype in Southern California in the mid-20th century. Early in the century, many white couples from the Midwest had moved to the region, especially to Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. The trend was accelerated by the Dust Bowl
Dust Bowl
The Dust Bowl, or the Dirty Thirties, was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to American and Canadian prairie lands from 1930 to 1936...
, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Since men tended to die earlier, Pasadena became known for its high percentage of elderly widows. As political columnist and language expert William Safire
William Safire
William Lewis Safire was an American author, columnist, journalist and presidential speechwriter....
has noted, the phrase "little old ladies in tennis shoes" was used in the 1960s to refer to social and political conservatives in Southern California.
Part of this lore was that many an elderly man who died in Pasadena would leave his widow with a powerful car that she rarely if ever drove, such as an old Buick Roadmaster
Buick Roadmaster
The Roadmaster was an automobile built by the Buick division of General Motors. Roadmasters produced between 1936 and 1958 were built on Buick's longest non-limousine wheelbase and shared their basic structure with senior Oldsmobiles. Between 1946 and 1957 the Roadmaster was Buick's top of the line...
, or a 50-some-odd Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
, a vintage Ford, an old Packard
Packard
Packard was an American luxury-type automobile marque built by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, and later by the Studebaker-Packard Corporation of South Bend, Indiana...
, Studebaker
Studebaker
Studebaker Corporation was a United States wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 under the name of the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the company was originally a producer of wagons for farmers, miners, and the...
, DeSoto
DeSoto (automobile)
The DeSoto was a brand of automobile based in the United States, manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation from 1928 to 1961. The DeSoto logo featured a stylized image of Hernando de Soto...
, or a La Salle. Used car salesmen in California, so the story went, would tell prospective buyers that the previous owner of a vehicle was "a little old lady from Pasadena who only drove it to church on Sundays," thus suggesting the car had little wear. This joke became part of the material of some comedians based in Los Angeles (notably Johnny Carson
Johnny Carson
John William "Johnny" Carson was an American television host and comedian, known as host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson for 30 years . Carson received six Emmy Awards including the Governor Award and a 1985 Peabody Award; he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987...
, who often used it on his frequent trips to tape The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
in L.A. before settling there permanently), and because of television, the phrase "little old lady from Pasadena" became familiar to a national audience.
From this premise came the comic song, about a little old lady from Pasadena who had a hot "Super Stock Dodge
Dodge Polara
The Dodge Polara was an automobile introduced in the United States for the 1960 model year as Dodge's top-of-the-line full-size car; after the introduction of the Dodge Custom 880 in 1962, the Polara nameplate designated a step below the full sized best trimmed Dodge model; the Polara that year had...
" a 1964 Dodge Polara
Dodge Polara
The Dodge Polara was an automobile introduced in the United States for the 1960 model year as Dodge's top-of-the-line full-size car; after the introduction of the Dodge Custom 880 in 1962, the Polara nameplate designated a step below the full sized best trimmed Dodge model; the Polara that year had...
or Dodge 330
Dodge 330
The 330 was a Full Size automobile sold by the Dodge division of the Chrysler Corporation in 1963 and 1964, based on the B-body. The coupe often used a 6-cylinder engine. The car was available as a 2dr Sedan or 4dr Sedan. Base motor was the 225 Slant-Six. The 318 2bbl, 361 2bbl, 383 2bbl, 383...
in her garage. (These vehicles had low production number "Max Wedge" (Maximum Performance Wedge Engine) lightweight race specials built in 1964 for drag racing. These are highly collectible today.) The twist was that unlike in the usual story, this little old lady not only drove the hot car, but was a peerless street racer.