"Palisades Park", Freddie "Boom Boom" Cannon (1962)

[FyJstudios]

buenisima cancion, me recuerda a Emma Frost

[25FIREBALL]

in st.louis we had the highlands,,comit coaster and all,,i was there the day it burned to the ground...it had clowns or gorgiles(sp?) on the entrance way,,as we drove past flames were coming out their mouths,,that image is burned in my mind

[25FIREBALL]

i wore this freaking record out

[Benayrunyon]

This song was written by Chuck Barris 

[jpringle1979]

Up here in the midwest we have Cedar Point... it has alot of old rides too from the Palisades Park era...

[BeatlesFetish09]

love this song---has such a happy note

[raportero]

this song appears at x men movie, the last one

[TheAlan1476]

Dude, I am an old Fort Lee guy, worked at the Park every summer, "Gladys Shelly at the Hodrods"

[MrHesoyam1991]

we dance around to rocking band!!!!!

PALISADES PARK

[sparkle11231]

Wow. This is such a big part of my childhood. (I was 4 years old when we began visiting Palisades Park.) I can't believe they took it down to build stupid buildings - buildings they can put anywhere!! 

[therealjoebloggs]

@sparkle11231 Because the good burghers of Palisades Park (the town) didn't want to build any parking structures near PAP, and since PAP's parking lot filled up quickly every day, Hispanic families driving in from Washington Hts and Highbridge in NYC would park on city streets blocks away and walk to PAP. Some racism was involved in the town's decision to condemn PAP. (PAP was profitable right up until it closed!)

[sparkle11231]

@therealjoebloggs -- wow. That absolutely blows. I believe you're right. I hope those lovely intolerant "neighbors" saw that they deprived their kids of a fun, memory-making place as much as they deprived us all.........but then again, people like that have no conscience.

[therealjoebloggs]

@sparkle11231 Sadly, though, it would have happened eventually; from the Bridge to the Lincoln Tunnel, now you have all these condo developments. Hoboken and Jersey City have gentrified in the last 25 years. Weehawken and West New York are going to hold a Formula 1 car race! Any town on the Hudson River was going to look to cash in. It so happens that the developers of PAP's site were ahead of their time. You might even argue they started the whole thing.

[areubaked]

I remember Palisades Park from my schoolkid days. There were coupons on the back of Superman DC comics for rides at PP. Many years later, in the mid 1980s, I worked with someone who lived in a high rise that stood on the Park's grounds. Standing out on his balcony, I could almost hear the roller coaster and the screams!

[areubaked]

I have a yellow WMCA Good Guys sweatshirt framed and hanging on the wall. A trophy from one of New York's most celebrated radio stations. Go Gary Stevens!



[jaemel1]

@areubaked Cool! I probably would do the same thing if I had an original one!

[bunnymusic60]

Kids today don't have anything like we did. What a shame that they destroyed Palisades Park and built high rises. I loved seeing the lights at night of the roller coaster at night.

[ChristyLove816]

CONEYYYY ISLANDDDDDDDD

[ddenuci]

As great as the rides were in the park, my best memories of Palisades Amusement Park is the swimming area. The pool was huge, and the water was pumped in from the Hudson River, so it was lightly salt water. And the water falls created a mild wave. There was even some sand just outside the entrance to the pool to give the feel of being on the beach. But my family also stayed up on the wooden area.

[SuperFABIAN56]

BECOME AN HONORARY PRODUCER OF "PALISADES PARK" the MUSICAL HEADED FOR BROADWAY AND SURE TO BE A HIT! GOOGLE IT NOW!

[TinaMarie1010]

I heard this song in "X-Men: First Class" and I had to look it up and listen to it all over again. :)

[Ezdduf4kuZ]

This is definetly Freddy at his best & the video....all I can say is that ties in nicely with this #1 classic!

[stevarino1989]

Never been to Palisades Park but I love this song! Especially the roller coaster sound effects at 1:38. We have our own local amusement park here. I live in Western NY.

[magique7771]

Never saw pics of Palisades Park until now, though read the ads in Superman Comics again and again. From a California boy's perspective, it looks a lot like Santa Cruz Beach/Boardwalk, which is happily STILL there and not torn down at all. One can go on the same roller-coaster that scared them as a tiny kid!

[NEMstrodamus]

We split our time between Coney Island and Palisades Park. I am now 72 and the fifties were the greatest days of all time. I miss it all.

[raytrex]

WHY DO THEY GET RID OF ALL MY FAVORITE PLACES TO LIVE AND HAVE FUN, IT;S SEEMS THE USA IS TORTURING ITS SENIOR CITIZENS BY TAKING AWAY ALL OF OUR SHILD HOOD MEMOREIS, WE HAVE NOTHING TO ENTERTAIN US LIKE WE LIKE TO BE ENTERTAINED

[TheSV3]

I never got to got to the park, but I do remember the comic book ads with Superman and the free rides. It was great seeing that as well as hearing this song. The only park I went to that far towards NJ was Hershey Park in PA back in summer '69. And I was just out of elementary school then, going to visit my dad's sisters in NJ and NY at the time. Thanx.

[mkl62]

A Top 5 hit for Freddy Cannon in the summer of 1962. It was his biggest hit. And on a personal note, this song was on the charts when I came into the world. How the music scene has changed.

[pookatim]

Oh, how I loved Palisades Park! They had live bands at night. I remember seeing the teenagers coming into the park at night all dressed up. It was a magical time.

[dchockeygoali07]

i'm only 22, but i remember being 3 years old and playing around with random CD's my parents had. i'd keep pushing buttons until music came on, and since this song was the first on the CD, i'd always end up listening to this; it never got old.

[chucksterberg]

Did anyone happen to catch " Cousin Brucie " in one of the pictures. I listened to him "forever" on abc and one day he came to my high school and I couldn't believe that he had lost his hair. Don't know why, but I guess I thought the number one guy in music should have hair...LOL...jb

[jaemel1]

@chucksterberg Ha! I actually went to the same HS he did-James Madison, but he was there before me :~)

[dasobst]

@chucksterberg 77 WABC!!

[Pisces3139]

Does anyone remember taking the boat to Palisades Amusement Park????

I always did....

[joned1000]

Callahan's hotdogs not far from Pal Park. Salt water pool with water fall and waves. Clay Cole. 

[ejay1118]

I've never been there. But I remember the song and the ads in DC comics for the free parking. I always wanted to go!

[lawdog490]

AND AGAIN ON MEMORY LANE...WHO REMEMBERS THE YELLOW WMCA GOOD GUY SWEATSHIRTS...YOU HAD ONE OF THOESE ...WOW YOU WERE SOMEONE SPECIAL

[jaemel1]

@lawdog490 Oh, I sure do remember them, I was always trying to win one but never could :~( I DID manage to acquire a button, which I still have to this day!

[ejay1118]

@lawdog490 ~ My wife has some glasses from them. No sweat shirt though.

[jdsukes]

A wonderful song about a place I have fond memories of since I live in New Jersey. It's a shame they tore it down for an apartment complex. Also for those who do not know, this song was written by Chuck Barris of The Gong Show fame. I have the 45.

[lawdog490]

JUST RAN INTO THIS VIDEO...I WAS THERE AS A KID, AS I AM SURE MOST WRITING WERE....MEMORY CHECK...ANYONE REMEMBER FREEDOM LAND IN THE BRONX...LATER AND NOW KNOWN AS CO-OP CITY...

[jaemel1]

@lawdog490 Oh sure, I remember Freedomland!

[regencysf]

@lawdog490 Loved Freedomland. That whole area is slowly sinking.

[spock414]

I remember looking for Palisades Park matchbooks to find "Pal" on the inside to get in for free. 

[lunhil12]

Wow. I remember the mechanical band at the funhouse, it used to scare the heck out of me. Shame it's gone.

[Nicolene130]

I went there once and I was young. I have one memory of the Little Miss America Stage. Did they film the Little Miss America show at this park? I was also wondering why I can't share your video with my Facebook. Thanks

[jaemel1]

@Nicolene130 Hi. I don't remember if they ever filmed LMA pageant there. And I just checked my account settings, and you should be able to post it on facebook, so I don't know what is going on there (?) Thanks for the comment, though.

[campirella]

@Nicolene130 i was a little miss america finalist :D i still have my certifiacte and plaque

here's a link to the palisades park page, it has the theme song audio "little miss americaaaaaaaaaa..."

[jaemel1]

@campirella Really!? That is so cool! LOL!!!! I know that has to be one of your treasured memories! Thanks for commenting.

[campirella]

@jaemel1 ..... it is :) thanx again for the vid and bringing back great memories of the park and song!

[nancyandsabe]

What a great place to go as a kid! Practically lived at that place. Lots of memories. Thanks for the memories!

[Tomasini1000]

My last trip to the Park was in 1961. Great memories.

[rottenbuffalo]

How ironic, Palisades Park closes in 1971, and Magic Mountain opens up the first Saturday of summer 1971. I know, I was there.

[megjonaslove333]

I remember the ads for Palisades Park as a kid..."Come on Over" to "The world's largest saltwater pool."

[dmachine01]

this video took me back to one of the best times of my life as a kid with my mom,dad and my two brothers. this video has turned me into a kid for short few mins. thank you for another time spent, with my mother and father, if just for a few mins. may they RIP.

[molokinirum]

Oh how I miss those days!!! Thanks for bringing back some great memories!!!

[jrzgirl56]

it was the best place to be as a kid! great memories for me were made there!

[lastrada52]

Neil Diamond is not in the R&R Hall of Fame, neither is the likes of this brilliant rock singer Freddy Cannon or Chubby Checker. What a joke that Hall of Fame is. Cannon, Checker and Diamond are more rock and roll legends than some of the artists they induct that are on the fringe of what rock is. Cannon's "Palisades Park" alone qualifies him, Checker's "The Twist," (a hit TWICE) and Diamond's "Cherry, Cherry," and "Hot August Night" album and they are all still performing 40 years on.

[Rollman1]

I was there only once as a teen. How much was it to get in ?

[jaemel1]

@Rollman1 Gee, it's been so long I don't remember. Anyone?

[stematfisnyc]

@jaemel1 10 cents but it was also free if you knew where the hole was in the chain link fence.

[rocknroller53]

boy palisades park what super memories last time i was there was in 1969 when i lived in paterson,nj was about a hours ride from home what great memories and freddy relives it for me every time i hear him sing keep up the awesome job boom boom love ya always.

[jaemel1]

@rocknroller53 1969 was the last time I was there also. Thanks for the comment!

[richart58]

@rocknroller53 ha ! same as me i was from paterson also ,remember going there every summer ! long before the super parks they have now. still have family pictures from that time !

[49kasey]

This song is all about how much fun it was growing up in the early 60's. All the music of the time reflects this. It's gone forever and all we have are the memories because it's all gone to hell!

[hudsoninbury]

@49kasey Your words it's all gone to hell is just so TRUE! . I grew up in Canada and live in the UK - both North America and Europe have been sold out and the life and values we were taught have been dumped by our current governments to meet demands by the third world invasion that is engulfing or world

[49kasey]

@hudsoninbury It's the third world war now, isn't it? People haven't come to grips with it yet but that's what it is. That and today's economy are engulfing people's minds and making us all miserable. Can even this music lift our spirits enough? What can we possibly do? I don't see much reason for going on. I'm sorry but I just don't.

[smokeyone63]

Took my girl there once. What a fun place. Of course, we didn't last any longer than the park did, sigh.

[ponkaton1]

its amazing. this place got knocked down, but keansburg n.j. still stands . sad somehow.

[elamite66]

I had forgotten all about that jingle for Palisades Park good to hear it again I loved Palisades Park I could see it from across the Hudson on a clear day I didn't know it then but it was in it's last years It had opened in 1998 and closed in the 70s It wasn't until some years later that I realized that Chuck Barris, co-wrote the song The song was better than the Gong Show for a fact. the Park was going downhill like Coney Island The song was the best Freddy did I believe.

[CentinelThe]

man , I love this tune , thanks jaemel1

[jaemel1]

@CentinelThe Thank you for the comment!

[brucer12]

Freddie did such a good job on this song which played a big part of summers and fun--Palisades lives forever.

[edmonton67]

Oh to have lived back when life looked and sounded so much less busy. Thanks for the history lesson:)

[WSenator1]

At 0:10 - Poster advertising Tony Orlando, by himself! Before Dawn, I presume.

[jaemel1]

@WSenator1 Oh yeah, for sure!

[cherylmarie49]

I always thought Palisades park was in California. LOL I didn't have an Internet to look it up back in 1962 !!

[MsCOLOnative]

What a great video! I always liked this song and I always wanted to know what Palisades Park looked like. Also thanks for putting the opening and closing dates on there. Great job!

[jaemel1]

@MsCOLOnative Thank you!

[dannyvanore]

So sad that things have to change. If only the kids today knew what they were missing!

[Glinkaism1]

Best quality audio download! Great job! These were great days. They will never return in this purely horseshit druggy music day and age.

[silentcal72]

Very nice presentation!

[jaemel1]

@silentcal72 Thank You!

[ghazikankan]

At 12 years old, I got on the bus, alone (it was safe back then) and went to Palasades Amusement Park with my Superman ride coupons and 8 dollars to spend. I met this girl who's mother ran the ride that was just a tunnel that turned as you tried to walk across it. For free she, and I ran back and forth through that tunnel for hours. I miss those days. Life seemed simpler.

[jaemel1]

@ghazikankan That was a nice story, thanks for sharing!

[briquetaverne]

Durin the late fifties & early sixties in the N.Y./N.J. metro area was the greatest place on earth to be. As a kid I rode all the rides including the Hurricane at Palisades park, the tornado,the Cyclone and paracute jump at Coney Island and I felt as the the world was my oyster. Things were simpler and stricter then but what a sense of freedom!

[jaemel1]

@briquetaverne You know, I did too and I couldn't have said it any better! Thanks!

[chichinoshin]

Realy???Park was in Cliffside Park???oooh!!!! I lived in Fairview,NJ

[jerseygreg913]

Jersey City thta is where it was happening. lol I am 58 and lucked out last trip to Jersey , i got a great reproduction of a Palasades Park Poster, every body love it , and i am in the worst city in the land ,Cincinnati.

[velvcurtshow1]

Great memories!

[MrDoncos]

This great song was played before every gig on the Tunnel of Love tour in 1988.What memories

[GirlGeorgeTVshow]

THIS SONG WAS WRITTEN BY CHUCK BARRIS.

.OF THE GONG SHOW

[gendres1]

@GirlGeorgeTVshow

You are correct sir ! I used to watch the Gong Show - and I didn't know this at the time. Kind of blew me away, when I learned this.

[polyhexamethylene]

Closed 1971? How sad. I was 8 years old then and never even got to go there. Sigh...

[DianeBD]

P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. - Last note to Al Nasif and the gang who worked for him at his 3 French Fry stands, 1 waffle stand, and "Circus Restaurant" . . . I (Diane Doumit) created a ringtone of a clip from Freddy Cannon's song, "Palisades Park," and assigned it to Eddie Catellano, who worked there with me and Al's gang. Hence, whenever Eddie in Jersey calls me in Colorado (several times a week), the clip of "Palisades Amusement Park" by Freddy Cannon plays . . . a sign of my fond memories of the place!

[DianeBD]

P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. - To Al Nasif and the gang who worked for him during the park's final 3 seasons at his 3 French Fry stands, 1 waffle stand, and "Circus Restaurant" . . . I (Diane Doumit) will be 56 (!!!) in December and have been (unfortunately) working as a Registered Nurse for the past 28 years. Went back to school in mid-1990s and got a Bachelors in History to teach (instead of nurse), but still nursing. After Jersey, I lived in Maine for 17 years and now in Colorado for over 20 years.

[DianeBD]

P.P.P.P.P.S. - To Al Nasif and the gang who worked for him during the park's last 3 seasons at his 3 French Fry stands (the best in the world!!!), his 1 waffle stand (excellent waffles!!!), and his "Circus Restaurant" (adjacent to the stage) . . . Alice Castellano is 56 years old and has been living on the Jersey shore for decades. She is a phlebotomist (i.e., draws blood) and works in some clinic. Alice married her high school boyfriend, Bobby, and they had 2 daughters, and is a grandma!!!

[DianeBD]

P.P.P.P.S. - To Al Nasif and the gang who worked for him during the park's last 3 season's at his 3 French Fry stands, 1 waffle stand, and "Circus Restaurant" . . . After living in Dallas and in Florida, Eddie Castellano moved back to North Bergen, New Jersey, this past yearand turned 55. Alas, he is realizing his dream of being an actor: taking an acting course in the City and appearing in a few background gigs (e.g., on "Law and Order" another in a Justin Timberlake movie).

[DianeBD]

P.P.P.S. - To Al Nasif and all who worked for him and with me at Al's 3 French Fry stands, 1 waffle stand, and "Circus Restaurant" during the park's final 3 seasons . . . I am still close with Eddie Castellano, who worked for Al along with his (Eddie's) sister, Alice Castellano. Eddie and I talk a lot about working for Al at the park. We both still consider that job the best that ever we did have in our entire lives!!!

[DianeBD]

P.P.S. to my first comment a few minutes ago . . . the very last day on which Palisades Amusement Park was opened was September 11, 1971 (NOT September 11, 2001, as I mistakenly wrote). Hence, my words should have been as follows. Who could have imagined on September 11, 1971 that, thirty years to date into the future, there would be a terrorist attack on New York City on September 11, 2001???

[DianeBD]

P.S. - Diane Doumit in search of Al Nasif - the very best boss that ever I did have in my entire life!!! Where are you, Al? Where is the rest of the gang that worked for you and with me during the park's final three seasons at your 3 French Fry stands, 1 waffle stand, and "Circus Restaurant" right through the very last day on which the park was opened??? Do post a comment or e-mail me if any of you are out there . . .

[DianeBD]

EXCELLENT video!! In fact, me thinks this was a masterpiece!!! Best composite of the best of Palisades Amusement, where I myself work during its last three seasons right through the very last day on which it was opened on September 11, 2001. Who could have imagined that, 30 years to date into the future, there would be a terrorist attack on New York City on September 11, 2001? Life and people really were different back then: each far from perfect, though definitely more pleasant.

[briquetaverne]

Never having been on one before, at 11 years old and the first time I ever climbed into one I went on the Hurricane! ... I was scared out of my ever lovin' wits...and then I became a rollercoaster addict. ...Down at palisades park!

[faronfan]

The famous "hole in the back fence!" Irving Rosenthal instructed security to "look the other way" when kids were sneaking in. He said they'll spend all their money anyway, once they're in.

I remember Clay Cole doing a TV show from there

[oldiesforever64]

I remember the park well

[BushInJail]

Wow I remember this radio commercial....followed by possibly the best summer song

[mikemikeyf]

Do the Lindy to this one like crazy !!

What an instant sensation in NYC, soon as it hit.

.

[FenianandLimey]

I miss old Jersey, I miss North Bergen, I miss Nungessers and White Castle. Part of my Heaven is going to be all those places. Plus, hearing Cousin Brucie play "Brandy You're a Fine Girl" on the beach at Seaside Heights.

[jaemel1]

@FenianandLimey

White Castle!!!! YEAH!!!!

[chucksterberg]

@jaemel1 ...and what about the salt water pool that made its own waves!!!!

[jaemel1]

@chucksterberg Oh yeah!

[dgunboats]

@chucksterberg

Written by Chuck Barris, Producer & host of the Gong Show

[dorthy758]

@FenianandLimey DAM IT SOUNDS LIKE NORTH BERGEN WAS THE PLACE TOO BE BACK IN THE DAYS ITS WACK NOW IN DAYS

[valentineshoney]

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[InsomniacGirl]

Wow, what memories! I sure do remember that "Come on Over" jingle! Very wonderful memories, such a shame Palisades Park is gone. Thank you for posting this!

[greattunes67]

Brings back so many memories..:) Leigh

[greattunes67]

Hey you..gee this looks so familiar..:)

[jaemel1]

@greattunes67 Do I know you? LOL!!!!

[MegaDavyCrockett]

My oldest brother bought this 45 in 1962 and I played it 5 or 6 times a day for most of that year. Great song!

[65Dart]

What's there now?

[jaemel1]

@65Dart

A housing project, I believe.

[loungepianoman]

@jaemel1 Yes it's a housing project....what a shame the park was great

[wogfun]

@jaemel1 eh, hardly a housing project, they are some of the most expensive condos in the bergen county area..... but if I had my way, the park would still be there.

[1kymoonrunner]

All the great places are gone Palasades Park,Myrtle Beach Pavilion,and the list just goes on.

[fairfax1960]

@1kymoonrunner -they ripped the heart & soul out of Myrtle Beach when the Pavilion and Pavilion Amusement Park were torn down. I went by there this summer and it's just sand and weeds where the Amusement Park was. There was an inflatable water slide where the Pavilion stood (too cheesy.) It's so sad.

[workstrength]

not many people knew that this was written by Chuck Barris who hosted the Gong Show....

[orca7131957]

Great!!

[SixtiesMusicLover]

Man, I wish I was born a lot earlier so I could have gone there! It looks so much better than Hershey and Six Flags I've been to.

[guruatomik]

@SixtiesMusicLover The country is full of smaller amusement parks and fairs that don't have the advertising budget of Six Flags or Disney. You can still recapture that classic Palisades Park feel at many of them.

You (and anyone else reading) should look up and support your local, smaller theme parks.

[NELHAOTEC]

marker 1 at 0:35

[jrzgirl56]

The best memories of my childhood. Miss this amusement park. Too bad it closed. And yes, finally someone posted clips of this park to Freddie's song.

[primogennaio]

Thanks for making the ad and song available. I remember both, from those glorious days of the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s when music was the best it ever was. If only they could be brought back.

[Icarusnj]

took too long for the real song to start..... next

[marc1976able]

was only 4 yrs old when this song was out. loved it then and still do to this day. only wish i could have been to this famous amusement park when it was the place to be growing up.

[cottonceena]

FINALLY someone has posted real clips of the park to Freddie's song. Bravo! Excellent job. Thanx!

[tropicalpancake56]

Brilliant!!!!!!!

[DianeBD]

@tropicalpancake56 . . . As a Registered Nurse of over twenty-eight years, I LOVE your handle: Dead Nurse Walking!!!

[DianeBD]

@tropicalpancake56 . . . Oops, Tropical Pancake . . . That reply was intended for Dead Nurse Walking handle. Tropical pancakes are much more appealing than nursing . . .

[tropicalpancake56]

@DianeBD HA HA!!!!

[deadnursewalking]

ah, the memories..... what a great place it was.......

[chattychar]

clever.....putting the other song  first :0 hee hee heee. deletion delayed!

[BurgerChefGuy]

AWESOME!!!!