D. J. David B. Spins Comics-Tunes: Beep Beep or Meeb Meep?
For years - decades even! - the Warner Brothers have been stating quite publicly that phrase the Road Runner says is “beep beep.” The proper title of the comic book is even Beep Beep The Road Runner. Wait. Is that supposed to be his first name? Beep Beep? And his last name is Road Runner? (I’ve heard that Smokey The Bear’s middle name is “The.” True or just rumor?) But when I, D. J. David B., watch a Road Runner cartoon, the noise that speedy little bird makes sounds more like “meeb meep” to my talented ears. I don’t hear a B sound at all. It sounds like an M the way he says it. Am I crazy?
Regardless, I have an exciting new discovery to share! Based on my research, Mr. B. B. Road Runner has more songs about him than any other animated cartoon character. I’m not counting Batman, because all of those records are versions of the same song. No, there are whole a bunch of different songs called “Road Runner,” including this one by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. (Should be “the Cartoon Lovers” if you ask me.) Can anyone prove me wrong? If so, please keep it to yourself.
Click the link below and listen.
Roadrunner - Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers
— DJ David B.
You obvious don’t get it, David. It’s “Beep Beep the Road Runner” because you can’t copyright or trademark an animal character simply called “The Road Runner”, just as WB couldn’t have called Bugs Bunny simply “The Bunny”. (As an aside, you’re entirely correct that it SOUNDS like “Meep-Meep”, not “Beep-Beep”… but “Meep-Meep” just looks strange in print.)
“Road Runner” is a generic term. It’s also the name of a car as well as a bird. Which is why you’ll find a ton of songs with this title. I can guarantee you that virtually none of these songs are actually ABOUT the Warner Brothers cartoon bird, any more than the old standard “The Red Red Robin” is about Batman’s boy sidekick. Epic fail.
Ha! You “obvious” don’t read this blog very often or you’d realize that we’re always wrong! Epic win!
OK, I get it. You have to fill column space on a regular basis. It just seems like a cheat, since it makes it a little too easy. Like posting a picture of the pulp hero The Shadow, and then an mp3 of the song “Me and My Shadow”, or “The Shadow of Your Smile”. (Although if you wanted to get obscure, you could look up the song “The Shadow Knows” by Link Wray, which actually IS about The Shadow.) Or a picture of Bert Christman’s DC comics character The Sandman, and the song “Sandman” by the band America (which could also have been about the movie Logan’s Run, as well, but probably not).
Maybe this is too easy as well (although at this point, the LP seems sufficiently obscure), but did you ever post the recording of “Ev’ry Little Bug” from The Spirit picture disc issued by Kitchen Sink in 1987?
It’s not a cheat, it’s a joke. This isn’t research, it’s entertainment.