JumpStart by Robb Armstrong for May 23, 2022

Most ice cream trucks in my area switched away from “Turkey In The Straw” last year when they figured out where the melody really originated…

The writing on the side of the truck must confuse people … “Ice Cream Police”

And why is the music controversial?

I was a child in the 1960s here in the south San Francisco bay area, and ice cream trucks would come down our street relatively often. Ice cream bars off the truck were 10 or 15 cents. They drove slowly up the street with music blaring.

In the last 25 years or so the only ice cream trucks I have seen go down a street look like they are doing 25 mph or better, still with music playing but not stopping for anyone. Who would have time to get out to the street to catch one once they heard it?

Are they still a thing, or am I seeing ice cream undercover trucks or some other use? Selling ice cream doesn’t seem to be their goal anymore. Puzzled.

The big ice cream truck company in Philly is Mr. Softee, which uses their original jingle, which they guard under copyright. Most people don’t know that their jingle actually has lyrics! Hear the audio of this old Mr. Softee commercial with the lyrics here:

https://youtu.be/EhvJyEbV-Fs

Me too, Robb. Without the lyrics, let’s just get over ourselves and enjoy the tunes. Several weeks ago I saw little girls doing and singing Ring Around the Rosie. I wasn’t gong to ruin their fun.

And without that music, how are kids going to know when the ice cream truck is coming?

I’m offended that someone found the music offensive.

I did a quick Google. Apparently, ‘Turkey In The Straw’ has racist origins.

Of course it was shown playing music yesterday. (See notes floating behind the truck, visual symbol for music.)

Nowadays, everything is controversial.

Thinking a food truck serving doughnuts would be more appropriate for police officers, lol.

I’m with Joe. If someone has to tell me I should be offended, am I really offended?

(Note: I am NOT making excuses for things that really ARE offensive.)

We didn’t know what we didn’t know. But then, we still don’t.

The ice cream truck music is way too loud and repetive.

In the 1920s, someone wrote horrendously racist lyrics to “Turkey in the Straw.” I won’t even share them here. But the tune predates those lyrics by 100 years. The tune itself is not offensive.

Maybe I missed something, but as far as Googling led me, while racist lyrics were later written to go with the tune, so were additional non-racist lyrics, and the earliest lyrics weren’t racist at all. But I had no idea the tune was associated with ice cream trucks, either, so what do I know?

Independent ice cream trucks come up my street. They each play their own tune. Neither is familiar to me.

At work, one of my coworkers had a cookie jar with a police officer as the character. When you opened up the lid, the recording would say “Get your hand out of the cookie jar!”. I loved it!!!

Google is good for finding things to be offended over.

Life is good!!

What’s annoying about ice cream truck music is that they only play ONE SONG over and over again until it drives you wacky.

One near me only plays “Pop Goes The Weasel”.I keep imagining Curly of The Three Stooges wrecking the truck.

Amen Robb.

It doesn’t play music, but it has a siren!

I’m used to hearing Scott Joplin’s “The Entertainer” as the ice cream truck music.

If people have enough time on their hands to worry about what an ice cream truck is playing, then they have TO MUCH time on their hands.

Well look what you did Robb. But the conversation here is civil. So, win for today?

The ice cream plays the muzak version of “Turkey in the Straw”.

We have a popsicle truck that plays Rick Astley – so you get rick rolled every time it goes round the city.

If a person looks to be offended, they will be offended.

Yes