…either sounds jarringly tinkly or resembles the erratic beepings of an electronic toy from the dollar store.

But I still love them. Among the many defects I was born with, one happened to be a penchant for really annoying sounds, like those spurted forth from ice cream trucks.

ice cream truck
this ice cream truck is in chinese!

Among the many ice cream truck jingles posted by WFMU, my favorite is easily the Ghetto Ice Cream Truck song. Mr. Softee is good too. Listening to any of these songs excessively in a short time period may result in brain hemmorhaging, but a little shouldn’t be any worse for you than staring directly at the sun’s burning core for a few seconds. (Um. Don’t do that.)

…So, where do these sounds come from? Music Thing gives a little bit of history and tells you where you can get your own annoying metal box of youth-enticing jingles (you should get an ice cream truck to go with it).

My parents never discouraged me from going to ice cream trucks when I was little (these parents told liiiies!), but there weren’t many where I lived. Then I came to NYC and found out that in the summer they pop out like bunnies. Rapidly reproducing truck-sized bunnies with freezer bellies. Not much in an ice cream truck appeals to me, but if I had the chance I wouldn’t mind checking out Ice Cream Man.

I’ll end with one of my favorite posts from Overheard in New York:

An ice cream truck is going up the street.

Little girl in wagon: Daddy, that truck song is annoying.
Hipster dad: Yes, the commodification of your desires is annoying, isn’t it?

–Bedford & N 10th