'Roadrunner' Could Become Official Mass. Rock Song

The Modern Lovers' "Roadrunner," an iconic 1970s ode to the joys of driving along Route 128 when it's late at night, was unlike any song of its era.

Now it could become the official rock song of Massachusetts.

At a time of drug-infused lyrics and bloated orchestration, the Modern Lovers — led by Bay State native Jonathan Richman — crafted a deceptively simple anthem about listening to AM radio, cruising along the turnpike, driving by the Stop & Shop and listening to "the modern sounds of modern Massachusetts."

Now Boston state Rep. Martin Walsh has filed a bill to make "Roadrunner" the official rock song of the commonwealth.

Although the two-chord wonder is an unabashed celebration of driving alone at night on highways and suburban streets, it would be embraced by the punk rock explosion that followed a few years later.