My Favorite One-Hit Wonders of the 80s: Sausalito Summernight (#4)
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (62063)
United States
June 27, 2016 7:31pm CST
And the countdown rolls on (as Casey Kasem used to say). Scott (@teamfreak16 ) and I are looking at the great one-hit wonder songs of the 80s. We almost had a match today, thanks to his post of the great Tom Tom Club song "Genius of Love," but, after much hemming and hawing on my part, I removed that song from the top ten. Here's the incredibly obscure song that I picked instead.
#4: Sausalito Summernight - Diesel
Man oh man, what isn't to love about this song? Great guitar riff, cheesy Beach Boys-type harmonies, and quite humorous lyrics made this a sure-fire hit.
Well....maybe that was just me. The song only made it to #25 on the Billboard pop charts, and the Dutch band Diesel never charted again in the US. But dang this is a fun song!
The misadventure of a couple who drive from L.A. to San Francisco in a mechanic's dream -- a Rambler that guzzles gasoline like a man in the desert drinks water. "Another mile or two to Frisco, 200 gallons from L.A.," they sing, adding, "The engine's thumping like a disco, we ought to dump her in the bay."
Anyone who's ever had a car like that (and we all probably did, especially in our youth when we couldn't really afford anything new and/or in good condition) can sympathize. And everyone can sing along.
Sausalito Summernight
Written by Mark Boon and Rob Venderink
Recorded by Diesel
From Watts in a Tank, 1981
And this could go on our summer song list! Hot summer night in Sausalito!
3 people like this
3 responses
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
28 Jun 16
I am totally oblivious to this song.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62063)
• United States
28 Jun 16
It was a relatively minor hit, and it came along right before most of the radio stations went to that "superstar" format.
@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
28 Jun 16
Oh wow, Diesel. I had forgotten all about them. Recognized the riff right away, and got blindsided by a bunch of high school memories.
1 person likes this