This Winning Words post features Jan and Dean’s hit song “The Little Old Lady from Pasadena.” There is a very good chance you have never heard of Jan and Dean or this song. But be patient! I believe you’ll enjoy the song and I promise its story will illustrate key High-Frequency SAT vocabulary words.
Here is some key background information to help you understand the song: Pasadena is a city in California located 10 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city is best known as the home of the Rose Bowl Stadium and the host of the New Year’s Day Rose Bowl Parade. Colorado Boulevard is a major street in Los Angeles County that runs from the city of Los Angeles through Pasadena. Jan and Dean were a popular duo who pioneered the California Sound later popularized by the Beach Boys.
Now that you know the game, let’s kick it!!
QUINTESSENTIAL – The song begins by introducing us to “the little old lady from Pasadena.” She appears to be a QUINTESSENTIAL or perfect example of a sweet and lovable grandmother who has “a pretty little flower bed of white gardenias.”
BELIE – But granny’s appearance BELIES or misrepresents a secret! Guess what is inside her “rickety old garage?” Believe it or not, it contains a “brand new shiny-red super-stock Dodge” racing car!
INCONGRUOUS – The discovery of an elderly senior owning a powerful super-stock Dodge racing car is clearly an unexpected and INCONGRUOUS mismatch. It turns out that granny has a secret identity. She is an accomplished drag racer who is the “terror of Colorado Boulevard.”
IDIOSYNCRASY – The little old lady from Pasadena has a unique set of personal IDIOSYNCRASIES. For example, she is a fearless and aggressive driver who “can’t keep her foot off the accelerator.”
VIE – Young males are typically the undisputed kings of the hot-rod scene. Indeed, they VIE or compete for a chance to race the legendary little old lady from Pasadena. But Jan and Dean warn that their efforts will be futile as “she’ll give ‘em a length, then she’ll shut ‘em down.”
INDELIBLE – Jan and Dean conclude that “there’s nobody meaner than the little old lady from Pasadena.” Her status as an unrivalled hot-rod champion has become an INDELIBLE or impossible to erase part of the California scene in the early 1960s.
QUINTESSENTIAL – a perfect example of something
BELIE – to misrepresent or mislead
INCONGRUOUS – something that is out of place; a mismatch
IDIOSYNCRASY – a unique and distinctive characteristic or trait
VIE – to compete for something
INDELIBLE – something that cannot be erased or forgotten
SURPRISE – Collectors will now pay $150,000 for an authentic 1964 super-stock Dodge!