"I can name that tune in 300 yards..."

September 23, 2008 6:10 AM

"I can name that tune in 300 yards ..."Not for much longer, though. Honda prepared for an upcoming commercial by cutting grooves in a road in Lancaster, California. These grooves, if driven over at just the right speed and in just the right car (one guess!) should play something resembling the William Tell Overture. But once filming was done (and I'm sure the commerical will be as impeccably produced and successful as Honda's other ads), locals and tourists were left with the driver's equivalent of that huge floor keyboard in Big, with some drivers lining up to play over and over again. Result? The city will pave over the road today. But hey, we'll always have Anyang. And Japan (previously). And Denmark.
posted by maudlin (29 comments total)

Pretty sure they're driving the wrong way. Good video here.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:20 AM on September 23, 2008

Sorry, link fail
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:23 AM on September 23, 2008

Auuugh. The pitches aren't even close. They must have hired tone-deaf pavers.

Q. How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
A. DRIVE.
posted by SteelyDuran at 6:27 AM on September 23, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

That road is tone deaf.
posted by wsg at 6:43 AM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Auuugh. The pitches aren't even close. They must have hired tone-deaf pavers.

Excellent. Sounds just like it's supposed to.
posted by mandal at 6:46 AM on September 23, 2008 [7 favorites has favorites]

That road is tone deaf.

Everything sounds better in a Rolls.
posted by WolfDaddy at 6:50 AM on September 23, 2008

Rolling tones indeed
posted by burnmp3s at 7:02 AM on September 23, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]

Nicely played, burnmp3s.
posted by Mister_A at 7:08 AM on September 23, 2008

Auuugh. The pitches aren't even close.

Maybe had a flat tire.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 7:16 AM on September 23, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

Over the past few years there've been sporadic reports of dubious veracity that Disney had planned, was planning, is planning, or might have thought to start planning, grooves cut into the entry roads to Walt Disney World that played a happy tune like "When You Wish Upon A Star" when you drove over them when following the speed limits. Depending on who you believe ("They've got 'em!" "I rode over the test stretch of road and heard the first few notes!" "I drove the road but it's not open to the public!" "Once Walt's unfrozen, they're gonna start work on it!") there may or may have not been tests conducted on public roadways, but gosh, I thought at the time, what an idea?

Only now I see what happens when they do something cool like this. People start driving all crazy-like over them. And as much as I can't knock the spirit of experimentation, folks, THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.
posted by Spatch at 7:18 AM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Pitch-wise, it sounds like William Tell as played by a gamelan. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing.
posted by Johnny Assay at 7:19 AM on September 23, 2008

If you back over the same stretch it plays Judas Priest's Better By You Better Than Me.
posted by JBennett at 7:24 AM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

There is no need
for headphones
wake up the neighbors
to the Rolling Tones

BURMA SHAVE.
posted by SteelyDuran at 7:27 AM on September 23, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

Anyang!
posted by AwkwardPause at 7:39 AM on September 23, 2008 [3 favorites has favorites]

If you back over the same stretch it plays Judas Priest's Better By You Better Than Me.

That only actually works if you're dragging a stoned petrol pump attendant along behind you, tied to your back bumper. You need the human squeals to reach some of the high notes.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 7:44 AM on September 23, 2008

Rollerblades + bottles = Mozart.
posted by futility closet at 7:50 AM on September 23, 2008 [4 favorites has favorites]

Just what the world needs: reasons for people to drive more. Unbelievable.
posted by Manhasset at 7:56 AM on September 23, 2008

Great. So on the way to school, the bus rubs the kids faces in the fact that their music program has been cut to ribbons by playing a song that they'll never be taught to recognize from anywhere else but cartoons.
posted by [NOT HERMITOSIS-IST] at 8:16 AM on September 23, 2008

The city will pave over the road today

And send the bill to Honda, I hope?
posted by DreamerFi at 8:42 AM on September 23, 2008

Your favorite road sucks.
posted by bondcliff at 8:56 AM on September 23, 2008 [5 favorites has favorites]

Just what the world needs: reasons for people to drive more. Unbelievable.

It's a car commercial. what did you expect?
posted by lostburner at 9:17 AM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Groovy.
posted by porpoise at 10:08 AM on September 23, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

They could have used this and made one of these.
posted by mandal at 10:34 AM on September 23, 2008

I totally had the idea for this 10 years ago!
posted by jpdoane at 10:52 AM on September 23, 2008

Rollerblades + bottles = Mozart.

I can't favorite that hard enough... I wish I had athletic ability rather than my musical talent so I could be a cool wacky musician with a gimmick.

Oh wait....
posted by Kimothy at 11:46 AM on September 23, 2008

I hope a stoned cartoon cat is given due credit for this.
posted by maus at 12:28 PM on September 23, 2008

Musical road = all five flavours of awesome.
posted by Samuel Farrow at 1:45 PM on September 23, 2008

"Pretty sure they're driving the wrong way."

Like in the UK?
posted by 517 at 6:36 PM on September 23, 2008

I totally had the idea for this 25 years ago....
posted by bugmuncher at 9:39 AM on September 24, 2008