‘Roadrunner’ going faster miles an hour to becoming the new state song of Massachusetts

Jonathan Richman is pictured here performing with the Modern Lovers in the 1970s. The singer says he doesn’t think his song is “good enough” to be an official song for Massachusetts.
CREDIT: Max Redfern/Redferns/GettyImages

Last week Joyce Linehan updated her Facebook status with keen sense of insight into herself, and an almost keener insight into how people view her.

My epitaph is shifting from ‘Courtney Love wrote Doll Parts in her apartment’ to ‘Convinced Elizabeth Warren to run for Senate.’ (The latter isn’t purely true.) I believe ALL of this will be overshadowed by ‘Spearheaded the campaign to Make Roadrunner Massachusetts’ Rock Song)

The former Sub Pop publicist and current head of Ashmont Media is certainly active in the community, and although she has a sense of humor about her latest endeavor, giving it the ALL CAPS treatment, she is quite serious about it. She has persuaded Mass. State Rep. Marty Walsh to file HD3506 to make “Roadrunner” — the song that Jonathan Richman first recorded in the early 1970s with the Modern Lovers — the official State Rock Song. The honor of official State Song currently belongs to a song called “All Hail to Massachusetts,” written by Arthur J. Marsh.

Yeah, we didn’t know that one either.

But Richman has reportedly said he doesn’t exactly love the idea of his song becoming the State Rock Song. He told the Globe in a statement that he  ”didn’t think the song is good enough to be a Massachusetts song of any kind.”

But judge for yourself, and listen to this playlist. The first song is the current State Song we mentioned earlier. (Yawn). And then comes the new candidate. After “Roadrunner” comes a slew of other tunes we thought would also be good candidates in the event that Richman himself has any veto power. We personally hope the songwriter doesn’t have that veto power, because what can be more Massachusetts than reveling in the glory of “128 when it’s dark out”?

If you agree with us, go on over and like Linehan’s Facebook page. And for the hell of it, give a listen to our Mass Appeal playlist below.

We should note that we don’t REALLY think the Corvus Stone instrumental, “Mustaches of Massachusetts” or the reggae version of the Bee Gees’ “Massachusetts” song should be the State Rock Song. State Reggae Song for the latter though? Maybe.