A lot of music has been written about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. In the immediate aftermath songs expressed the shock and grief that enveloped the nation, but within a few years they started to reflect the widespread belief that we weren’t being told the real story. These days more than two-thirds of Americans believe Lee Harvey Oswald didn’t act alone.
A lot of songs have been written about that, too, but none of them are as funky as this one, featured on “What Up, Dog?” the 1988 breakthrough album for Was (Not Was). Eleven miles per hour is the speed Kennedy’s motorcade had to slow down to as it made a sharp left-hand turn in front of the School Book Depository in Dallas. A debunked but persistent feature of JFK conspiracy theory was that the motorcade’s route was changed to force that slow turn, giving Oswald a better target.
That mix of the song was released on the US version of the album, which made it to No. 43 on Billboard’s album chart. A different arrangement was used on the UK LP, with a faster beat and less funky, more Northern Soul vibe. I think El Som will like this one better.
