Friday Five – Car Songs
Art challenges us to come up with five songs with cars in the title, and no Cadillacs allowed! Dang, there went about 90 percent of all the car songs out there. Dave Alvin’s Long White Cadillac, Springsteen’s Pink Cadillac and Cadillac Ranch (not the goofy Chris LeDoux song), no Brand New Cadillac, nothing! DANG!
So here goes, five songs with cars in the title:
1. Little Deuce Coupe – the Beach Boys / Cruisin’ Deuces – Danny Gatton. Didn’t want to mention the same car as two separate songs, but the Deuce is the common nickname for the 1932 Ford Model B. Raise your hand if you knew that bit of trivia.
2. 409 – the Beach Boys. Not a reference to a household cleaner, it’s actually a reference to a specific Chevrolet engine. Real enthusiasts often refer to their cars by the engine model rather than the make or model of the car.
3. Peroxide Blonde in a Hopped-Up Model Ford – Jumpin’ Gene Simmons. Not the bass player for Kiss, the rockabilly singer on Sun Records.
4. Wild, Wild Mustangs – Dick Dale and his Del-Tones.
5. Pontiac – Lyle Lovett. Lyle is often equal parts hilarious and heartbreakingly beautiful, sometimes in the same song. This one is a misty-eyed heartbreaker.
Thanks for playing, Will. Excellent choices there. I called ‘no Cadillacs” because I figured everyone would list the Cadillac songs first… and there are a bunch of them!
Not even “red cadillac and a black moustache” – that was one of the first ones I came up with!
Hey look – we both pulled out Pontiac! That’s a great album.
1. From a Buick 6 – Bob Dylan This is the only good one on the list. The others are just the only ones I can think of.
2. Mercury Blues – Alan Jackson (or do you prefer Steve Miller? or Meatloaf?) – Well this one isn’t bad.
3. Jesus Chrysler Drives a Dodge – Screaming Blue Messiahs
4. Red Barchetta – Rush
5. Does the new Rick Moranis (Yeah that Rick Moranis) song “America, My truck” count? Click the “listen box” in the upper right hand corner http://www.rickmoranis.com/
Just to make it interesting, Songs with the WORD car in the title:
1. Tracy chapman – Fast Car
2. The Cars – Here in My Car
3. Queen – I’m In Love With My Car
4. Billy Ocean – Get into My Dreams, Get Out Of My Car
5. The Beatles – Baby You Can Drive My Car
6. Rascal Flatts – Fast Cars and Freedom
7. Rose Royce – Car Wash