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Food Song of the Month: Ice Cream Truck Songs

For the belated June song of the month it seems appropriate to choose Ice Cream Truck Songs. The weather is getting warmer. While that means sweaty days are coming, it also means it’s ice cream truck time. Growing up in a Tennessee suburb, the trucks came on an irregular basis – sometimes once a week, sometimes every few days – maybe it was meant to keep up our anticipation? We were lucky in that the subdivision was a big loop so when the ice cream truck drove by, in 15 minutes there’d be another shot. My favorite was always the rocket one since it was three flavors (red=cherry, white=lemon and blue=blue raspberry). It was more Italian Ice tasting than ice cream though. The other go to was the chipwich (still a favorite today). Honorable mention: Strawberry Shortcake. What were your favorites?


I honestly don’t remember which song the truck played but it always felt whimsical and old timey. Several of the more popular songs played by trucks today were recorded 50+ years ago. Here are two very common ice cream truck songs:

Mister Softee was “originally written for an ad agency by Les Waas in 1960.” The first version featured lyrics but later was turned instrumental and limited to 20 seconds.

Mr. Softee with Lyrics

Mr. Softee without Lyrics

The Hello Ice Cream Truck
I always loved this ice cream truck jingle because it ends with a very wacky “hello!?”

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3 comments on “Food Song of the Month: Ice Cream Truck Songs

  1. I don’t remember what the truck played when I was young and it drove our neighborhood. But now-a-days the ones that drive through my neighborhood play not too old pop songs. I will find myself signing a song then wonder how it got in my head because I know I didn’t have the radio on. Then I will realize that it was the ice cream truck that put it in my head! 🙂 I don’t remember this “Mr. Softee” at all. I think I would have.

    • Sorry for the late response (this went to my spam for some reason). Pop songs? That would different. The crazy thing about ice cream trucks we grew up with was the repetition of the same songs haha. Thanks for the comment. Cheers.

  2. Yeah, the repetition has me singing (not signing as I originally typed, but I am sure you knew that) the song that I don’t know how I heard it. Then I remember the ice cream truck. It was odd to me the first time I heard it too. I remember asking my husband if that was someone playing their music like that. We determined it was the ice cream truck.

    Cheers back at ‘cha!

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