A one, a two, a one two three...WHHHHY do you build me up
build me up
Buttercup baby just to let me down
let me down
And mess me around
You know worst of all
Worst of all
You never call baby when you say you will
Say you will
but I love you still
I NEED YOU! MORE THAN ANYONE DARLINGYOU KNOW THAT I HAVE FROM THE STA-A-A-ART
So build me up,
build me
Buttercup,
Don't break my heaaaaaarrrt....
It was August of 1969 and my family was in Canada on our first family road trip. I wouldn't be turning twelve until November, and my tween self was enamored with Top 40 music. My little sister and I would pass the time on the road by singing our favorite popular songs, the windows of the VW pop top camper van rolled down and the wind blowing our straight ass '60's hair. We knew the words to a lot of songs, could harmnize, know who got which part. Air play a tambourine.My older sister was nearly 16 and didn't really even want to be on the trip. She spent her road time and camping time buried in a book, reading. In retrospect, I'd have to say she had a lot of patience for mine and my little sister's antics. It was my dad who eventually couldn't handle the sing alongs and would tell us to shut it. My mom would try to keep us happy by passing back Oreos and bags of chips. But eventually restlessness would lead to boredom would lead to bickering would lead to poking.
I can still picture my dad's hand swinging behind him trying to land a slap. Like a crazy appendage pendulum.
Part Two tomorrow.
29 comments:
Your dad sounds like my dad, at that same time period. Thank you for that Saturday morning guffaw!
Thank God: a post that's not about that "H" word weekend... :)
Loved it Pseudo....
I think my Mom must have been an Iraqi in a former life...she would take her shoe off to swat us with on road trips where we took advantage on time to many! Memories...that's what blog posts bring to us...memories.
Sandi
We used to do the road/camping trips when i was a kid. I think my parents stopped when they realized that sending us to overnight camp was cheaper than paying for lawyers when they killed us for having "camping" fun. LOL
Awesome Bus!
We didn't have a van but my dad had the weird floppy arm trying to whack us in the backseat while driving down the freeway at 80 miles an hour. Thanks for reminding me of that silliness.
Love it. Is that a photo of your bus from then?
xo
E
Loved. that. song.
Okay, haha, did not expect a post titled "Manson Murders" to start with Build Me Up Buttercup lyrics... :P
Still love that song! What a great little "trip" down memory lane, man. (Reminds me of the family trip we took in 71 to New York in grandparents' motor home. We drove Daddy mad with 8-track tapes of Janice Joplin, et al, on that very very long drive.)
PS Post title would make a compelling book name. LOL
OMG - I thought my father was the only one that knew the pendulum swing! And we knew if you went all the way over on either side, he couldn't reach. LOL We drove to FL once when I was in 2nd grade (72 or 73)- we had a station wagon and I sat in the "trunk" for most of it. good times...
Such fun memories. I totally forgot about this song...I am going to add it to my playlist and play it for my little people. They will love dancing to it!
Hey guess what? That is seriously my dream car- a tricked out VW van. Sweet.
Oh yeah! The music, the bus, the kids in the back seat. Good times.
ah the memories...and it made it worse when you scooted over so they could not reach you, but kept singing..tee hee.
happy halloween!
We RARELY goot caught by the swinging arm, but if it looked ike he was going to pull over so he could get his hands off the wheel and tourn around, we let him get a lick in to keep him happy...
And Movie, I got that photo off google images... but it is just like the van we had.
Camping vacations, oh, the memories...And I love the song; my seventh-grade teacher used to sing it for no apparent reason. Thanks for a big Saturday smile! (now, about the sequel...)
I wanted to give hubs the pendulum arm swing just now for not letting me watch the Buttercup video....
The VW bus is making me all nostalgic for my DeadHead days...
Thanks for the Sunset shout!
Good times! I love that song. We were on a roadtrip in my parents new car and broke down. The dealership brought us one of those VW popup vans. It was awesome! My parents were pissed that their brand new Mercedes didn't make it but my friend and I were ecstatic!
That cracked me up because it brought back a whirlwind of my own roadtrip memories with the family.
Love this glimpse into your past! It sounds like you girls had a blast!
I had to smile as soon as the page loaded...Oh, the VW camper!!!! My family had one, and so did my grandparents!!!! What memories!!! And your memories stirred even more of mine!!! My brother and I used to look for ways to spend the hours on long trips...and I have such vivid memories...not unlike yours!!!Thank you for this trip down memory way!! Your wonderful description brought so much back!! Really, really fun to share this with you today...have a wonderful weekend!!!! ~Janine XO
Sweet memories!
Love the story! And I love that VW! My Mom and Dad got married in 1966. Dad had a weird shade of green. . one of those VW's.
I really wish he would have kept it! I love those!
thanks for writing this. Now you have my mind spinning through memories of trips, songs and great times.
This a favorite song and favorite movie of mine - the DVD has that clip on it. I hope the clip can stay on youtube.
Happy Halloween Psuedo!!
Your dad actually reminds me of my grandmother when she got angry at us once while driving in the car. (snickering just thinking about it)
xoxo
I love this!!!!! And the old, over tanned blonde broad STILL cracks me up!
Thanks,
xo
OMG, my dad did the whirl around to hit in the backseat thing too!
I was always afraid someone would see; embarrassing...
I was 12 in 1969, too! Also had straight-ass 60's hair, bell bottom jeans and I listened to the same music. Except when WE went on a road trip, MY dad made us listen to Frank Sinatra singing crap like My Way!
"I can still picture my dad's hand swinging behind him trying to land a slap. Like a crazy appendage pendulum"
My dad didn't react often, but when he did, one big sweep of his hand.
This trip reminds me of a sabbatical we took a few years ago with 16, 14 and 10 year old. Can't wait for the rest of the story.
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