Palisades Park (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The original hit recording by Freddy Cannon

"Palisades Park" is a hit song written by Chuck Barris and recorded by Freddy Cannon.

A tribute to New Jersey's Palisades Amusement Park, which was open from 1898 to 1971, the song is an up-tempo tune led by a distinctive organ part. It also incorporates amusement park sound effects while still clocking in at under two minutes in length.

It was first released in 1962 by Swan Records as a Cannon B-side to the song "June, July and August", but "Palisades Park" broke in Flint, Michigan when a radio station played the B-side by mistake and the B-side became the hit. It eventually reached number 3 on the U.S. pop singles chart.

It was subsequently recorded by the The Beach Boys on their 1976 album 15 Big Ones, and by The Ramones on their 1989 album Brain Drain. Palisades Park was also used as the stage introduction music for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band's Tunnel Of Love Express show in 1988.

Cannon recorded "Kennywood Park" in the mid-1980's, which is a rewritten version of this song, featuring attractions at the Pittsburgh amusement park of the same name. The song was issued only on a limited-edition 45 vinyl single, and is considered a collector's item.