REO Speed Wagon - Keep on run-nin-ah.

This morning, the Agriculture and Rocking department head dropped this on my desk. It's a 1930 ad from Country Gentleman magazine for Reo Speed Wagon, which was... a car company?

Yep! Holy shit, Reo Speed Wagon was a car company! This I did not know. And, I also learned that Wheeling, Illinois, qualified as "countryside" in 1930. Not too surprising. I mean, I don't know exactly what Wheeling looks like, but if I were to go looking for countryside, I'd expect to drive farther than Wheeling. But then things change over time. Duh.

So yeah, Reo Speed Wagon. The company printed the name with initial caps, implying that the letters were meant to be pronounced like a word and not like an acronym. Maybe it's meant to be said "ree-oh" and not "arr-ee-oh". Also, they break Speedwagon into two words. I don't care. It's a super cool name for a band AND a car company. You can bet that "Speedwagon" is a thing of the past, in that no modern company would put "speed" anywhere in their name for fear of liability risks.

Anyway, time for a gratuitous video embed. I want to laugh at REO Speedwagon for being a lame Eighties band, but their music actually ages pretty well, and the songs are really catchy without being overly simplistic. Kevin Cronin does, however, do that thing I love to make fun of, but adding an extra vowel on the end of every line of lyrics-ah. Keep on runnin-ah. See you Monday-ah!

UPDATE: I've just been informed that the lyrics are "Keep on rollin-ah". Not "Keep on runnin-ah". Either one would make a fine commercial for the car manufacturer if they still existed-ah.