# Car song

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{{Short description|Song with car-related lyrics or themes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{redirect|Car Song|the Elastica song|Car Song (Elastica song)|the Woody Guthrie song|Riding in My Car}}
{{Infobox music genre
| name              = Car song
| bgcolor           = 
| stylistic_origins = '''1900s''': [Popular music](/source/Popular_music), [dance](/source/dance_music), [ragtime](/source/ragtime), [march](/source/march_music)
'''1950s''': [Blues](/source/Blues), [doo-wop](/source/doo-wop), [rock and roll](/source/rock_and_roll), [rhythm and blues](/source/rhythm_and_blues), [soul](/source/soul_music), [traditional pop](/source/traditional_pop)<br/>'''1960s''': [Rock](/source/Rock_music), [surf](/source/surf_music)
| cultural_origins  = Earliest forms emerged in the 1900s, United States<br/>Fully developed in early 1950s, United States<br/>Peak popularity achieved as "[hot rod rock](/source/hot_rod_rock)", in early 1960s, [California](/source/California), United States
}}

A '''car song''' is a song with lyrics or musical themes pertaining to car travel. Though the earliest forms appeared in the 1900s, car songs emerged in full during the 1950s as part of [rock and roll](/source/rock_and_roll) and [car culture](/source/car_culture), but achieved their peak popularity in the [West Coast of the United States](/source/West_Coast_of_the_United_States) during the 1960s with the emergence of [hot rod rock](/source/hot_rod_rock) as an outgrowth of the [surf music](/source/surf_music) scene. Though this popularity declined by the late 1960s, cars remain a frequently used subject matter in pop music into the 21st century.<ref>{{cite book|title=Driving With Music: Cognitive-Behavioural Implications|author=Dr Warren Brodsky|pages=35,329|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd|year=2015|isbn=978-1-472-41146-4}}</ref>

==Origins ==
In the turn of the twentieth century, the recent invention of the automobile began to appear within [popular music](/source/popular_music). Many of the earliest pieces had no lyrics, instead attempting to musically emulate the sounds of the automobile, such as "The Motor Car" (1903) and "The Auto Race" (1904). [Dance](/source/Dance_music), [ragtime](/source/ragtime), and [march](/source/march_music) compositions began emerging that, though wordless, were musically inspired by the automobile. Eventually, some of these songs took on words, such as Henry Krull's "Automobile Races".{{sfn|Telgen|2006|p=238}} In 1905, [Gus Edwards](/source/Gus_Edwards_(vaudeville)) premiered the song "[In My Merry Oldsmobile](/source/In_My_Merry_Oldsmobile)", a tune which [Kenneth T. Jackson](/source/Kenneth_T._Jackson) calls "the best-known car song ever written about the automobile."{{sfn|Jackson|1985|p=158}}

== Full development ==
The car song began to emerge in full in the burgeoning [rock and roll](/source/rock_and_roll) scene in the early 1950s. [Jackie Brenston](/source/Jackie_Brenston) had a hit with "[Rocket 88](/source/Rocket_88)", attributed to [Ike Turner](/source/Ike_Turner), praising the [Oldsmobile Rocket 88](/source/Oldsmobile_V8_engine).{{sfn|Ferrandino|2015|p=149}} Among the best known of the genre were "[Hot Rod Race](/source/Hot_Rod_Race)" by [Arkie Shibley and His Mountain Dew Boys](/source/Arkie_Shibley) and the [answer song](/source/answer_song) "[Hot Rod Lincoln](/source/Hot_Rod_Lincoln)" by [Charlie Ryan](/source/Charlie_Ryan).  Although the [Johnny Mercer](/source/Johnny_Mercer) song "[Skylark](/source/Skylark_(song))" was actually released in 1942, it became the inspiration for the [Buick Skylark](/source/Buick_Skylark) that debuted in 1953.{{cn|date=October 2017}} Many 1950s songs could serve as soundtracks to play in one's car when approaching a drive-in restaurant or meeting someone. "[Walk Don't Run](/source/Walk%2C_Don't_Run_(instrumental))" by [the Ventures](/source/the_Ventures), "[Rumble](/source/Rumble_(instrumental))" by [Link Wray](/source/Link_Wray), or "[Sleep Walk](/source/Sleep_Walk)" by [Santo & Johnny](/source/Santo_%26_Johnny) could all serve a slow entrance, "Let's Go for a Ride" by [the Collegians](/source/the_Collegians), "[You Can't Catch Me](/source/You_Can't_Catch_Me)" by [Chuck Berry](/source/Chuck_Berry), or "[Rebel-'Rouser](/source/Rebel-'Rouser)" by [Duane Eddy](/source/Duane_Eddy) worked for a more speedy approach, and "[No Particular Place to Go](/source/No_Particular_Place_to_Go)" by Chuck Berry worked for all situations.{{sfn|DeWitt|2001|p=44}} Many groups emerged that took their names from car brands: [the Impalas](/source/the_Impalas), [the El Dorados](/source/the_El_Dorados), [the Cadillacs](/source/the_Cadillacs), [the Fleetwoods](/source/the_Fleetwoods), [the Starfires](/source/the_Starfires), [the Rivieras](/source/the_Rivieras), [Little Anthony and the Imperials](/source/Little_Anthony_and_the_Imperials), among numerous others.{{sfn|DeWitt|2001|p=44}}

== Hot rod rock ==
{{Main|Hot rod rock}}

[[File:Sullivan Beach Boys.jpg|thumb|[The Beach Boys](/source/The_Beach_Boys) performing in 1964]]

The muscle car craze, as well as the surge of interest in [sports car racing](/source/sports_car_racing), brought several cars referencing performance cars. [The Beach Boys](/source/The_Beach_Boys), already a highly successful [rock](/source/rock_music) band, tapped into the California [cruising](/source/Cruising_(driving)) and [drag racing](/source/drag_racing) culture, spearheading a short-lived rock music craze commonly referred to as "hot rod rock".{{sfn|Blair|McParland|1990|p=xiv}}{{sfn|Shuker|2012|p=279}}{{sfn|Ferrandino|2015|p=149}} Author [Geoffrey Himes](/source/Geoffrey_Himes) wrote "The music was only subtly different [from surf music]".<ref name="HimesSurf">{{cite web|last1=Himes|first1=Geoffrey|authorlink=Geoffrey Himes|title=Surf Music|url=http://teachrock.org/media/essays/surf_himes_with_maia_edits_2.pdf|website=teachrock.org|publisher=Rock and Roll: An American History|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125223127/http://teachrock.org/media/essays/surf_himes_with_maia_edits_2.pdf|archive-date=November 25, 2015}}</ref> According to ''The Ultimate Hot Rod Dictionary'' by Jeff Breitenstein: {{quote|While cars and, to a lesser degree, hot rods have been a relatively common and enduring theme in American popular music, the term ''hot rod music'' is most often associated with the unique '[California sound](/source/California_sound)' music of the early to mid-1960s ... and was defined by its rich vocal harmonies, amplified (generally Fender brand) electric guitars, and youth-oriented lyrics (most often celebrating hot rods and, more broadly, surfing and 'girls'.{{sfn|Breitenstein|p=107}}}}

From 1961 to 1965, some fifteen hundred car songs were recorded.{{sfn|DeWitt|2001|p=44}} Alongside the Beach Boys, [Jan and Dean](/source/Jan_and_Dean), [Ronny and the Daytonas](/source/Ronny_and_the_Daytonas), and [the Fantastic Baggys](/source/the_Fantastic_Baggys) all rose to the forefront of the scene.{{sfn|DeWitt|2001|p=44}}{{sfn|Alexander|1964|p=33}} As in the 1950s, many groups adopted the names of car brands, but this time with a greater emphasis on [hot rod](/source/hot_rod)s, such as the GTOs and [the T-Bones](/source/the_T-Bones).{{sfn|DeWitt|2001|p=44}}

Some of the most popular car/motorcycle songs to emerge in this era include:
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
*"Stick Shift" (1961) by [the Duals](/source/the_Duals){{sfn|Bundy|1961|p=12}}
*"[409](/source/409_(song))" (1962) by [the Beach Boys](/source/the_Beach_Boys){{sfn|Ferrandino|2015|p=149}}{{sfn|Shuker|2012|p=279-280}}
*"[Little Deuce Coupe](/source/Little_Deuce_Coupe_(song))" (1963) by the Beach Boys{{sfn|Ferrandino|2015|p=149}}
*"[Shut Down](/source/Shut_Down_(The_Beach_Boys_song))" (1963) by the Beach Boys{{sfn|Shuker|2012|p=279}}{{sfn|Hoffmann|Bailey|1990|p=61}}
*"[Hey Little Cobra](/source/Hey_Little_Cobra)" (1963) by [The Rip Chords](/source/The_Rip_Chords)
*"[Drag City](/source/Drag_City_(song))" (1963) by [Jan and Dean](/source/Jan_and_Dean){{sfn|Hoffmann|Bailey|1990|p=61}}
*"[Fun, Fun, Fun](/source/Fun%2C_Fun%2C_Fun)" (1964) by the Beach Boys{{sfn|Hoffmann|Bailey|1990|p=61}}
*"[I Get Around](/source/I_Get_Around)" (1964) by the Beach Boys{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=174}}
*"[Don't Worry Baby](/source/Don't_Worry_Baby)" (1964) by the Beach Boys{{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=174}}
*"[Little Honda](/source/Little_Honda)" (1964) by the Beach Boys, covered by [the Hondells](/source/the_Hondells) (also in 1964){{sfn|Shuker|2012|p=279}}{{sfn|Hoffmann|Bailey|1990|p=61}}
*"Custom Machine" (1963) by the Beach Boys, popularized by [Bruce and Terry](/source/Bruce_and_Terry) (1964){{sfn|Hoffmann|Bailey|1990|p=61}}
*"[Dead Man's Curve](/source/Dead_Man's_Curve_(song))" (1964) by Jan and Dean{{sfn|Shuker|2012|p=279}}{{sfn|Alexander|1964|p=33}}{{sfn|Hoffmann|Bailey|1990|p=61}}
*"[The Little Old Lady from Pasadena](/source/The_Little_Old_Lady_from_Pasadena)" (1964) by Jan and Dean{{sfn|Shuker|2012|p=279}}{{sfn|Alexander|1964|p=33}}
*"The Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review and Timing Association" (1964) by Jan and Dean{{sfn|Alexander|1964|p=33}}
*"G.T.O." (1964) by [Ronny and the Daytonas](/source/Ronny_and_the_Daytonas){{sfn|Hoffmann|Bailey|1990|p=61}}
*"Bucket 'T'" (1964) by Ronny and the Daytonas{{sfn|Hoffmann|Bailey|1990|p=61}}
*"Three Window Coupe" (1964) by [the Rip Chords](/source/the_Rip_Chords){{sfn|Hoffmann|Bailey|1990|p=61}}
}}

== Later years==
After the hot rod music period ended by the mid-1960s, car songs, though still frequent, did not enjoy the same level of popularity. Some key songs that have emerged since that era include the following:

{{columns-list|colwidth=50em|
*"[Born to Be Wild](/source/Born_to_Be_Wild)" (1968) by [Steppenwolf](/source/Steppenwolf_(band)){{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=174}}
*"[Going Mobile](/source/Going_Mobile)" (1971) by [the Who](/source/the_Who){{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=174}}
*"[Highway Star](/source/Highway_Star_(song))" (1972) by [Deep Purple](/source/Deep_Purple)
*"[Rockin' Down the Highway](/source/Rockin'_Down_the_Highway)" (1972) by [the Doobie Brothers](/source/the_Doobie_Brothers)
*"[Sweet Hitch-Hiker](/source/Sweet_Hitch-Hiker)" (1972) by [Creedence Clearwater Revival](/source/Creedence_Clearwater_Revival)
*"[Motorcycle Mama](/source/Motorcycle_Mama)" (1972) by [Sailcat](/source/Sailcat)
*"[Silver Machine](/source/Silver_Machine)" (1972) by [Hawkwind](/source/Hawkwind)
*"[Autobahn](/source/Autobahn_(song))" (1975) by [Kraftwerk](/source/Kraftwerk)
*"[Low Rider](/source/Low_Rider)" (1975) by [War](/source/War_(U.S._band))
*"[I'm in Love with My Car](/source/I'm_in_Love_with_My_Car)" (1975) by [Queen](/source/Queen_(band))
*"[(I Live For) Cars and Girls](/source/The_Dictators_Go_Girl_Crazy!)" (1975) by [The Dictators](/source/The_Dictators)
*"[Paradise by the Dashboard Light](/source/Paradise_by_the_Dashboard_Light)" (1977) by [Meat Loaf](/source/Meat_Loaf)
*"[Cars](/source/Cars_(song))" (1979) by [Gary Numan](/source/Gary_Numan){{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=173-181}}
*"[Trans Am (Highway Wonderland)](/source/Street_Machine_(album))" (1979) by [Sammy Hagar](/source/Sammy_Hagar)
*"[Warm Leatherette](/source/Warm_Leatherette)" (1980) by [Grace Jones](/source/Grace_Jones){{sfn|Walker|2009|p=171}}
*"[Pull Up to the Bumper](/source/Pull_Up_to_the_Bumper)" (1981) by Grace Jones{{sfn|Walker|2009|p=171}}
*"[Heading Out to the Highway](/source/Heading_Out_to_the_Highway)" (1981) by [Judas Priest](/source/Judas_Priest){{sfn|Cateforis|2011|p=174}}
*"[Little Red Corvette](/source/Little_Red_Corvette)" (1982) by [Prince](/source/Prince_(musician)){{sfn|Walker|2009|p=171}}
*"[Panama](/source/Panama_(song))" (1984) by [Van Halen](/source/Van_Halen)
*"[Pink Cadillac](/source/Pink_Cadillac_(song))" (1984) by [Bruce Springsteen](/source/Bruce_Springsteen), covered by [Natalie Cole](/source/Natalie_Cole) (1988){{sfn|Walker|2009|p=171}}
*"[Rebel Without a Clue](/source/Rebel_Without_a_Clue_(Bonnie_Tyler_song))" (1986) by [Bonnie Tyler](/source/Bonnie_Tyler)
*"Rover 90" (2013) by [Judge Smith](/source/Judge_Smith)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.judge-smith.com/wp/sub-pages-not-in-menu/zoot-suit-tracklist-and-notes/ |title=Zoot Suit – Tracklist and notes |author=Judge Smith |access-date=June 27, 2023 }}</ref>
*"Vroom Vroom" (2016) by [Charli XCX](/source/Charli_XCX)
}}

==See also==
*[Teenage tragedy song](/source/Teenage_tragedy_song)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite magazine|last1=Alexander|first1=Shana|editor1-last=Stolley|editor1-first=Dick|title=Love songs to the carburetor|magazine=[LIFE](/source/Life_(magazine))|date=November 6, 1964|volume=57|issue=19|page=33|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rkgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA33|publisher=[Time Inc.](/source/Time_Inc.)|issn=0024-3019}}
* {{cite book|last1=Blair|first1=John|last2=McParland|first2=Stephen J.|title=The illustrated discography of hot rod music, 1961-1965|date=1990|publisher=[University of California](/source/University_of_California)|location=[Oakland, California](/source/Oakland%2C_California)|isbn=9781560750024|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WSY5AQAAIAAJ}}
* {{cite book|last=Breitenstein|first=Jeff|title=Ultimate Hot Rod Dictionary: A-Bombs to Zoomies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OtKWmLLiuTgC|publisher=MotorBooks International|isbn=978-1-61059-235-2}}
* {{cite magazine|editor-last1=Bundy|editor-first1=June|title=Artists' Biographies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vyAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA12|magazine=[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))|date=October 23, 1961|volume=73|issue=41|publisher=Billboard Publishing|issn=0006-2510}}
* {{cite book|last1=Cateforis|first1=Theo|title=Are We Not New Wave?: Modern Pop at the Turn of the 1980s|date=2011|publisher=[University of Michigan Press](/source/University_of_Michigan_Press)|location=Ann Arbor|isbn=9780472034703|pages=173–181|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-MVrM3zKrHQC&pg=PA174}}
* {{cite book|last1=Walker|first1=Clinton|title=Golden Miles: Sex, Speed and the Australian Muscle Car|date=2009|publisher=[Wakefield Press](/source/Wakefield_Press_(Australia))|location=Adelaide|isbn=9781862548541|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dmVQc0XKjVUC&pg=PA171}}
* {{cite book|last1=DeWitt|first1=John|title=Cool Cars, High Art: The Rise of Kustum Kulture|date=2001|publisher=[University Press of Mississippi](/source/University_Press_of_Mississippi)|location=Jackson|isbn=9781604737752|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tm2dYHEmeEAC}}
* {{cite book|last1=Ferrandino|first1=David|editor1-last=Turner|editor1-first=Katherine L.|title=This is the Sound of Irony: Music, Politics and Popular Culture|date=2015|pages=145–158|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_j7_CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA149|publisher=[Ashgate Publishing](/source/Ashgate_Publishing)|location=Farnham|isbn=9781472442611}}
* {{cite book|last1=Hoffmann|first1=Frank W.|last2=Bailey|first2=William G.|title=Arts & Entertainment Fads, Volume 1|date=1990|publisher=Haworth Press|location=Binghamton|isbn=9780866568814|pages=61–62|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_tR1owszUR0C&pg=PA61}}
* {{cite book|authorlink=Kenneth T. Jackson |last=Jackson |first=Kenneth T. |title=[Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States](/source/Crabgrass_Frontier%3A_The_Suburbanization_of_the_United_States) |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1985 |isbn=0-19-504983-7 }}
* {{cite book|last1=Shuker|first1=Roy|editor1-last=Horn|editor1-first=David|editor2-last=Shepherd|editor2-first=John|title=Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World|date=2012|volume=8|pages=279–280|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=__DTvryrBZkC&pg=PA279|publisher=[A & C Black](/source/A_%26_C_Black)|location=New York; London|isbn=9781441148742}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Telgen|first1=Diane|editor1-last=Hillstrom|editor1-first=Kevin|editor2-last=Hillstrom|editor2-first=Laurie Collier|title=Gilded Age Art and Literature|journal=Automobiles, Mining and Petroleum, Textiles|date=2006|pages=205–258|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6A3LUWOktlgC|publisher=[ABC-CLIO](/source/ABC-CLIO)|location=Santa Barbara|isbn=9781851097494}}

{{Musical composition}}

Category:Songs about cars
Category:Song forms

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Car song](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_song) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_song?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.