Ice Cream Truck Music, Revisited

Embrace the summer: come to terms with your local ice cream truck chime, and admit that you crave -- nay, require -- its catchy 20 second hook on glorious infinite repeat for maximum seasonal enjoyment.

Last year, I dug up MP3s for a few of the most common ice cream truck songs heard on the sweaty streets of NYC. Be sure to visit this post, where you can grab MP3s of such summer hits as the Mister Softee (RIP) jingle, the Ghetto Ice Cream Truck song, and another tune that someone smarter than me identified as "And The Band Played On."

But we all know that three ice cream truck songs does not a summer make. Here's another scoop (all MP3 links):

Lips Stained Blue  |  Melted Drumstick Melancholy  |  Pink Panther Pops = Awesome  |  Creamsicle of My Dreamsicle  |  What the Hell is a Choco Taco  |  Torturing Swedes Since 1969 (Thanks, Marcus!)  |  Soft Serve Sleepytime  |  Push-Up Pop Malfunction

And if you're really curious about that signature tinny ice cream truck sound, read this post in the excellent Music Thing blog. Here's a big ol' article about the history and origins of ice cream truck music (via Confederacy of a Dunce).

Comments

[Rae]

I don't recognize any of these tunes. I've been trying for a while to find the ice cream truck tune they used to play in Redding, CA a few years ago... they just changed the tune to something else and I'm sad because I can't find the original one. It was awesomely annoying.

[Paul Mongezi]

I aslo don't recognise any of these. I grew up in Durban, the Ice Cream truck service stopped a long time ago. I now live in Johannesburg and every Saturday the Ice Cream truck passes by (it just did) but the tune is different to the tune I heard as a kid. I thought that one would be here :(

[Articles Blogs Directory]

Speaking of creepy/wierd: when I lived in the northern part of Brooklyn NY (Greenpoint / Williamsburg / Bushwick) the ice cream trucks played "Send in the Clowns".

Articles Submission Directory

[Typhoon859]

I live in Brooklyn and have been in Upstate NY and the same music was played for the Ice Cream Trucks. None of these songs was it. It would've been awesome if it were though. If my phone went off in class, everyone would be like on the floor.

[original soundtrack]

I became intersted in ice cream truck music right before I took my "comprehensive exams" (which are the exams one takes at NYU to qualify for the Masters Degree). After passing, I loafed around the house for a few weeks. Living in a basement apartment in Brooklyn with Gail and the cat, we were subject to the music played by the ice cream trucks as they drove by. Annoyed by the constant jingling, I felt that researching the music would take away its power over me so I began looking into its history. Much to my surprise, I discovered that there was quite a bit to learn - this music had a background that wasn't adequately represented by the literature, which essentially consists of 1) nostalgic feel good articles with patriotic American themes; and 2) nasty diatribes attacking it preaching noise abatement laws. None of these sources ever say anything of substance about the music and ultimately leave its background obscured.

[BigC]

For me, I have Asperger's Syndrome... and anything high-pitched or tinny, It really bothers my hearing. Also, some of the songs it plays really gets to me emotionally... for example; one of the trucks comes around playing "It's a small world" and the song really makes me upset because it reminds me of my grandmother who passed away in '99, whenever it's played, I can't help but cry my eyes out. Anything from Disney makes me upset emotionally, except for the newer stuff, But I love "tron" Last Summer, one of the trucks came around playing one of my favorite videogame themes, the A-Type music from Tetris (GameBoy version) aka "Korobeyniki", and it was horrible... absolutely horrible. omg... don't even get me started on the other songs, except for the Scott Joplin classic "The Entertainer" from the movie "The Sting" which I think is overplayed to the max. I can't stand the ghetto song at all.... I hate it with a passion. "Turkey in the Straw" IS WAAAAAAAAAAAAY overplayed, what am I 4?! Last year, a couple trucks came around playing "Somewhere My Love" from the musical "Doctor Zhivago" and the "Super Mario Bros." Movie, i have to admit though, it was pretty damn good, and this really scared me the most of all, one of the trucks actually played the think music from "JEOPARDY!" I heard the theme and I looked at my watch and usually, "Jeopardy!" comes on at 7:00, and it was only 4:30 and I was like what the hell? Some of the songs I can tolerate, BUT I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT 50 MILLION TIMES IN A ROW! I was really surprised when one of the trucks came around and played B.J. Thomas's CLASSIC "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" and it wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. The one song I DO like is the english folk song "Greensleeves" It sounded really good. I hate the rendition the truck plays of the 1978 classic song "Music Box Dancer" with a passion.... IT REALLY SUCKS!!!!!!!!!! I would be EXTREMELY PISSED if one of them came around playing from one of my all time favorite videogames, SUPER MARIO BROS. All the artists who passed away who wrote those songs would be rolling in their grave when they would find out their songs would be butchered. Now, another song I do like "The Band Played On", the truck's rendition was really accurate to the original. Please don't get me started on the crappy rendition of the Frank Sinatra classic "Send in the Clowns" talk about a bad rendition of a CLASSIC, I'd rather listen to the original versions of these songs, except for the ones that piss me off (turkey in the straw & ghetto track) or get me depressed (It's a Small World & Over The Rainbow). I forgot to mention that in 2004, one of the trucks came around and played....... "Over The Rainbow" from "Wizard of Oz" and that reminded me of my grandmother because she sang that to me when I was a baby, and when it was played, i had a serious mental and emotional attack, I had crying spells that entire day and I felt really depressed, I couldn't think straight or anything. Whenever one of the trucks come around, to help me stay cool and to drown out their music, I crank up my TV when I played my videogames, sometimes I put on my CD player, cranked up the volume and played whatever CD I had in at the time. I even created a game called AUDIO WARS and the team name I call them is the eAo: Evil Audio Organization. After each time it comes around, I do the statistics for both songs, by diversity, # times played, and quality. Let's just say..... THEIR SONGS SUCK!!!!!!!!

[John M]

Soft Served is the best, but the only thing is that he comes at a time when your doing something fun or important, then you just drop what you're doing and chase after it. But we also got the regulars as well. They sold candies and hard ice cream treats, but it wasn't all that bad.
One time I got foot long pixie stick from an ice cream truck for only 25 cents. My sugar rush went through the roof. Another time I got these gumballs called "Cry Baby Sour gumballs" Why were they called that? After consuming one, my eyes began to water and I felt like crying like a baby it was soooo sour. But the best thing I bought once was a giant white jawbreaker candy for about $1.75. I was consuming that thing on and off for about a little over a week. No wonder why the Edd boys went bonkers for Jawbreakers.

[Moon Snail]

I was down at the local basketball court when the ice cream truck came by.

Then I went home and made this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVsa-vj2JhU

[trailer repair in houston]

wHY WAS THis blog named "beware of the blog?"
uhmm..just askin

[Jabooty]

ok im looking for an mp3 format of the ice cream jinggle that the old guy from Family Guy sings

[Eli]

Hi! And what about this song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx03yFz-Ryk&feature=related
I would like to know the name of that song...

[Truck Bed Covers]

I like ice cream truck music and the ice cream that it brings; however, I notice that most of the ice cream trucks do not have truck bed covers to cover its wares.
http://www.truckbedcoverstonneaucovers.com

[Truck Bed Covers`]

Where I live, the ice cream truck plays music while it cruises through the neighborhood. It reminds me of my childhood during the days of yore. What a treat!

[Jingle]

how nice the URL of this post is ...... mmmmmmmmmmmm..... I love ice cream . very nice and refreshing post.

[seasonal jobs]

i just love ice cream trucks. Its a very seasonal jobs.

seasonal jobs apply free

[Clay MacTarnaghan]

I thought these mp3's could be downloaded, but I can't figure out how to do that. Could you tell me? Thanks.

[Parker Hardy]

This is a retarded website. I hate it.

[Gillian]

I hope another ice cream truck comes by my house again soon. Only one ice cream truck has ever come by my house! But I missed it! I MUST HAVE ICE CREAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fogia]

I love it. Thanks for the info!

[Jane]

The good the bad and the ugly theme tune - played where I live (in Salford UK) has to be the best!

[Dan]

Perhaps the reason i found the hemglass song annoying when they had a brief period in Britain was it was the first one I came across with an electronic music box or maybe the volume - didn't know it was composed by a classical choir conductor!

[D Hamilton]

Does anyone have mp3 reference to the Balinese Ice Cream cart vendors that peddle their bicycles around the cremation ceremonies? The music works by peddling, like a hand crank but through the wheels. Thanks! GREAT SITE!!!

[Spanky]

thanks so much for these!!! I need them for Halloween 2010 as I am planning on riding around on an old ice cream back in psycho clown costume. dry ice coming from the front and a warbled version of these songs will do the trick nicely..

[Dan]

I was interested in the comments by the person with Asperger's - I too have this condition and I never liked the songs played by ice-cream vans when I was younger. This also explains my earlier comment regarding the Hemglass song. If it was one I'd only seen on Youtube it'd be no different to the American ones like Turkey in the Straw etc. However, I now like the traditional British ice-cream van chimes like Greensleeves, O Sole Mio (Cornetto) etc. Our local ice-cream van plays the Mister Softee (UK) chimes, that are different from the famous American ones. We used to have one that played "Colonel Bogey" (an unusual ice-cream song). Hemglass didn't do well in the UK market and withdrew after its takeover by Nestle. More recently, it closed one of its factories in Scandinavia.

[Dan]

I found out from a video on Youtube that the Danish Hjem-IS (home ice) still rings a bell to announce its presence.