"Go back the other way, we'll stop and eat at Dick's"

Before he became obsessed with the female posterior, Sir Mix-a-lot crafted one of the best-ever songs about a place.
"Posse on Broadway" was THE FIRST SONG I HEARD IN 2007.
From Rainier Way to "23rd and Jackson" and to Broadway, Sir Mix-a-lot provides a virtual tour of the cruisin' strip in Seattle's Central District. You can practically trace the posse's route on a map of Seattle, which is a fun thing to do while listening to the song.
"On Martin Luther King, the set looks kinda dead/We need a new street, so posse move ahead."
Instead of gangsta exploits, Sir Mix-a-lot celebrates hanging out with friends, which is one of the reasons why I have adored this song since I purchased the 12-inch single upon its release in 1988 (now 19 years ago?!). Sir Mix-a-lot explains that he has got a "def posse:"
"My homeboy Kid Sensation is a teenage lady killer/Maharaji's on the def side, dancin' like a freak/The girlies see his booty and their knees get weak/Larry is the white guy, people think he's funny/A real estate investor who makes a lot of money."
Of course, the highlight of this song for many people involves the efforts Sir Mix-a-lot makes to feed his hungry posse:
"Now, the freaks are gettin' hungry and Mix-a-lot's treatin'/We stopped at Taco Bell for some Mexican eatin'/But Taco Bell was closed, the girls was on my tip/They said 'go back the other way we'll stop and eat at Dick's'/Dick's is the place where the cool hang out/the swass like to play and the rich flaunt clout."
He's right about Dick's. Founded in 1954, this local fast-food outlet (with about five Puget Sound locations) is a Seattle icon, famed for the massive "Dick's Deluxe."
After the posse's triumphant appearance at Dick's -- "posse to the burger stand so big we walk in two's/we're getting dirty looks from those other sucker crews" -- the song concludes with Mix-a-lot's posse rescuing a girl from the clutches of an abusive boyfriend:
"Her boyfriend's illin', he went to slap her face/My homeboy PLD cold sprayed the boy with mace/Cuz I never liked a punk, who beat up on his girl/If you don't have 'game' then let her leave your world/We took the girl with us/With him she rode the bus/She gave the boy the finger and the sucker starts to cuss."
It's such an admirable approach to male-female relations, it's hard to believe that this is the same rapper who gave the world "Baby Got Back."
I love "Posse on Broadway." It might be the best-ever song about Seattle, and I made sure it's the FIRST SONG I HEARD IN 2007.
Happy New Year!