You know how every once in a while you’ll just get a song stuck in your head to the point you have to keep listening to it over and over until you hate it? Well, that’s me with today’s Traffic Jam. Luckily, I’m not at the hate it stage yet, but it’s been on constant repeat for about five days now. You never know what's coming.
If you are a child of or were cognizant during the 1990s, you most certainly remember Fastball’s The Way. It’s a song about two people who just go off to enjoy themselves one final time during a road trip, never to be found again.
The song’s music video is also deliciously trippy and a perfect 1990's throwback. Take a few minutes to give it a watch.
The song’s iconic melody is immediately familiar to most, but what many people probably don’t know is that the song is actually based on a true (and tragic story.)
Lena and Raymond Howard were going to a festival about 10 miles from their home in central Texas. However, they never made it there. Lena suffered from the early stages of dementia and Raymond just had brain surgery. The couple ended up missing for weeks.
The story captured the imagination of Fastball’s lead singer and Austin native, Tony Scalzo. He imagined a more idealized version of the situation, where the couple went off to live out their lives free of responsibility. If only.
After a few weeks, the couples’ car was found at the bottom of a ravine in Arkansas, nearly 400 miles from their home. Both of them were unfortunately found dead.
So, while the melody is very sweet, if you listen to the words you’ll find some truly haunting lyrics.
Lena and Raymond, this one’s for you. Enjoy that golden road.