Many Route 66ers are now familiar with Randy Newman’s song “Our Town,” which was sung by James Taylor and featured in a moving scene of the Disney-Pixar movie “Cars.” It encapsulates the history of small towns along Route 66 in about four minutes. You can hear a sample of the song on this Web page.

There’s another song called “Our Town,” written and performed by country-folk singer Iris DeMent back in 1993. Tonight, I found the video for it on YouTube.

The video’s setting may or may not occur on Route 66, but it’s no less bittersweet than what happened to those towns when the interstates bypassed them.