“The Hindenburg Disaster” is an upbeat, retro-sounding, very catchy song — complete with a kazoo solo — about one of the worst things ever to happen in New Jersey: the crash of the Hindenburg airship in Lakehurst, in 1937. Thirty-five of the 97 people on board died.
“Come on children, have you heard/Of the greatest ship, the Hindenburg?/It carried folks of wealth and fame/But it crashed in Jersey in a ball of flame,” sings Andy Bean of the duo Two Man Gentlemen Band, in this song.
This is the only song, I believe, ever written about the Hindenburg, though the airship is famously shown on the cover of Led Zeppelin’s self-titled 1969 debut album — even though it’s not, technically, a zeppelin (or, for that matter, a blimp).
Check out the song below.
New Jersey celebrated its 350th birthday in 2014. And in the 350 Jersey Songs series, we marked the occasion by posting 350 songs — one a day, from September 2014 to September 2015 — that have something to do with the state, its musical history, or both. To see the entire list, click here.
CONTRIBUTE TO NJARTS.NET
Since launching in September 2014, NJArts.net, a 501(c)(3) organization, has become one of the most important media outlets for the Garden State arts scene. And it has always offered its content without a subscription fee, or a paywall. Its continued existence depends on support from members of that scene, and the state’s arts lovers. Please consider making a contribution of any amount to NJArts.net via PayPal, or by sending a check made out to NJArts.net to 11 Skytop Terrace, Montclair, NJ 07043.