100 Songs That Mention Bicycle Safety

This thread could save lives.

1. The Rolling Stones - Something Happened To Me Yesterday

"Don't forget, if you're on your bike, wear white."

I suppose Half Man Half Biscuit's See That My Bike's Kept Clean has a road safety situation that it may be useful to consider -

'There's two white horses in a line (x3)
And two white cars coming up behind.'

3. Syd Barrett - Bike
"it's got a basket/a bell that rings..."

http://blogs.westword.com/demver/Helmet-SizeMatters.jpg

4. "Motorcrash" by The Sugarcubes

It indirectly concerns bicycle safety b/c Bjork was not injured in the motorcrash whilst riding her bicycle.

So, no Queen or Pink Floyd then?

5. "What God Said" by the Uninvited:

I talked to God and here's what he said
Wear a helmet on your head

Could be all sorts of helmets, I guess.

"Proud Mary", a song about a riverside bicycle outing, reminds us that bikes can't be ridden unless the "big wheels keep on turnin".

groan

7. A remark that is echoed of course in Massive Attack's plea to stick closely to bike paths if you want to live to see the next sunrise: "The big wheel keeps on turnin, on a simple line, day by day".

8. "Slow and Low" by the Beastie Boys is great for remembering where to keep your center of gravity

9. Kinky Friedman, Schwinn 24:

Well, I made my thing stop and they started to inspect her
Found I was missing one red reflector
They put it on with go go speed
Now I got all the tail action I need

Possibly my favorite song about where to keep your center of gravity while bicycling is Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle"

11. "A Tisket a Tasket" stresses how sad you will be if you fail to lock bicycle accessories securely to the frame.

12. "Radar Love" by Golden Earring:

No more speed, I'm almost there
Gotta keep cool now, gotta take care
Last car to pass, here I go
And the line of cars drove down real slow

Laudable!

Mary Lou Lord, "Speeding Motorcycle" - oh, wait, no, never mind.

Decemberists (pause for hot, sour blast of ILM hatred), "Apology Song" is about bicycle security.

I will be very surprised if we can get to 100 here, folks.

14 - Soundgarden, "Kickstand"

15. Derek and the Dominoes - "Key to the Highway" is about how you should never leave home without a full set of Allen wrenches

16. JAMC, 'The Living End', barely.

I'm moving too fast, I'm moving too fast
I'm moving so fast that I can't control the wheels
I'm moving so fast, I'm moving so fast
Yeah, I'm going for a tree, yeah it's going for me, yeah
My head is dripping into my leather boots

I've never checked wot's "My White Bicycle" really about.. Might be samthung on-topical in there, too..

Of course! There's lots of unsafe bicycle riding in that song but the guy rings his bell at somebody, so it counts.

"two tyred to win" - Gary Moore

18) "Tony's Theme" - Pixies

He's got the oil on his chain, for a ride in the rain
No baloney
Ride around on my bicycle like a pony
I'm waving hi, hi, hi, hi, hi
Gu-gu-gu-Gimme a scream
Give me, give me the theme
Of Tony

To-ny, To-ny, To-ny, To-ny, To-ny

I am Tony, super bicycle Tony, I'm racing
Spitfire turn and pop a wheelie, burn and evil chasing
I'm waving bye, bye, bye, bye, bye
I got a card in my spokes
I'm practicing my joke, I'm learning

... a warning by example of how not to ride your bicycle safely (tony = goofus)

19. The Vaselines - "Rory Rides Me Raw"

actually that was 20.

21. Morel - "Death Of A Paperboy"

22. Nancy Sinatra - "These Boots Are Made for Walkin" - NOT for bikin!

23. One of the Carter Family's most requested hits has been "Keep on the Sunny Side", with its practical tip for keeping your bicycle chain rust-free.

24. "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" was actually written by the Beatles as a public service message to stop bicyclists from dangerously riding on the sidewalk and frightening pedestrians.

25 Elvis Costello - Pump It Up

26. Instructions Regarding Tandem Bicycles:

We will go tandem as man and wife
Daisy, Daisy
Wheeling away down the road of life
I and my Daisy Bell

When the night's dark, we can both despise
Policemen and lamps as well
There are bright lights in the dazzling eyes
Of beautiful Daisy Bell

I will stand by you in wheel or woe
Daisy, Daisy
You'll be the belle which I'll ring, you know
Sweet little Daisy Bell

You'll take the lead in each trip we take
Then if I don't do well
I will permit you to use the brake
My beautiful Daisy Bell

27. Further instructions regarding tandem bicycles:

"It Takes Two (To Make the Thing Go Right)" - Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock

28) "Ring My Bell" - Anita Ward

29. Instructions about one-way streets:

"No Turning Back" - Kelis

(though her suggestion that cyclists can "Just close your eyes and you can still see it" should not be taken literally)

20. If you need to know what to do when cycling with a friend in the city, you could do worse than listen to Eric B and Rakim's "Follow the Leader"

31. Puncture repair advice from Neil Young in The Needle and The Damage Done

32. Shine a Light - Stones

33) "Pink Pedal Pushers" - Carl Perkins

on how to avoid sunburn while cycling

Radiohead offering advice on:

34 cornering - The Bends
35 high speed punctures - Blow Out
36 general benefits of cycling - Fitter Happier
37 what will happen if you are alert and aware - No Surprises
38 Lance Armstrong's life story - How I Made My Millions
39 World Naked Cycling Day - Nude
40 Kit - All I Need (bike pump, spare inner tubes, general purpose bike tool, and a water bottle)
41 handy recap of all the above - A Reminder

42) "Big Poppa" - Notorious B.I.G., The

on tyre hazards

43. Bob Dylan - Ring Them Bells

44. Mark Olson & Gary Louris - Bicycle

It's hard to ride at night on your bicycle with no lights to guide

45. Foghat - Slow Ride

46. The Selector - "Too Much Pressure (let some air out of your tyres)"

47. The Dukes of Stratosphear's "Bike Ride to the Moon" ends with a warning about the tire-puncturing dangers of Sputnik

48. Jerry Garcia - The Wheel

The wheel is turning and you can't slow down
You can't let go and you can't hold on

49. Primal Scream - "Movin On Up" is not, as conventional wisdom would have it, a song about the benefits of battery-powered headlights ("my light shines on") but a cautionary tale from beyond the grave by one young cyclist who just had to wear dark sunglasses while on the road ("I was blind, now I can see / You made a believer, out of me")