Why this tune?
The Metro subway system in the Washington, DC area just resumed full service. I’d like to offer my song “Stand Right” as a refresher for people who may need a reminder of the unwritten rules of local transit. When I returned to the DC area about 10 years ago, I learned how important it is to stand on the right so that others can walk by on the left – and wrote this song to capture that important principle. It attracted some buzz in the press after I recorded it with Aaron Myers in 2015 for his holiday album “Snowing In Vegas“.
Dig this detail!
Since I wrote the song, I’ve paid attention to notices I’ve seen around the world asking people to stand right and walk left. You won’t see those in DC. Even though it’s part of the local culture, it’s not the official policy of the local transit authority.
There is also research that suggests it’s much more efficient for everyone to stand on the escalator (both sides) and not walk up the right. This is likely true, but far less musical.
If you know of other cities that want a song to teach their riders about escalator etiquette, please get in touch!
Oren Levine, jazz pianist and songwriter 