10. Chuck Berry - No Particular Place to Go. Chuck Berry made a whole career out of singin' about fast cars, pretty girls and having fun, and all three themes play prominently in this classic from 1964 in which young love is thwarted by a malfunctioning seat-belt. Same thing happened in a Camaro we once owned.
9. Rush - Red Barchetta. Lyricist and drummer extraordinaire Neil Peart is a hardcore motorcycle fanatic, but he's clearly spent some time behind the wheel. This track from 1981's Moving Pictures perfectly captures the imagery of tearing up the countryside in a vintage Ferrari.
8. Sammy Hagar - I Can't Drive 55. The national anthem of Gearhead Nation and a song that only sounds good blaring through a pair of 6x9 speakers. Bonus points because the video for this track, from 1984's VOA, featured a Ferrari.
7. The Beach Boys - 409. Everyone cites Little Deuce Coupe, but for our money, this B-side to 1962's Surfin' Safari is the best of the Boys' many car songs because nothing says "bad ass" like a mid-60s Chevy with lousy brakes and an obscenely large engine putting out 425 horsepower.
6. Ween - El Camino. Only a band so lovably weird as Ween would memorialize a car so lovably weird as the the El Camino - and do it in a song with a flamenco flavor. Extra points for references to those other great American cars with Latin names, the Toronado and the Cordoba. Brilliant, just like the rest of 1990's GodWeenSatan - The Oneness.
5. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Crosstown Traffic. A great song that uses a car as a metaphor, in this case for a girlfriend who's tying ol' Jimi down -- "just like crosstown traffic, all you do is slow me down." This track from 1969's Electric Ladyland is packed with metaphors, our favorite being "tire tracks all across your back, I can see you've had your fun." Ouch.
4. Golden Earring - Radar Love. We've all been there - driving all night, hands wet on the wheel, half-past four and shifting gears. This classic from 1973's Moontan is perfect for hauling ass on an open road in the dead of night. It's been covered by at least half a dozen band including, regrettably, White Lion, but the original still sounds great after 35 years.
3. Drive-By Truckers - Daddy's Cup. The old line about real musicians having day jobs could just as easily apply to auto racers, and this song from 2004's The Dirty South perfectly conveys what it's like to have grease under your nails, racing in your blood and dreams of glory in your head.
2. Sir Mix-A-Lot - My Hooptie. When you get right down to it, songs about bad-ass cars are as big a rock-n-roll cliche as sunburst Les Pauls. On 1989's Seminar, Sir Mix-A-Lot gave a shout-out to heaps. What makes it great is how easy it is to relate to: "Lifters tickin', accelerator's stickin', somethin' on my left-front wheel keeps clickin'." Sounds just like a Camaro we once owned.
1. Prince - Little Red Corvette. This song isn't really about a Corvette, it's - spoiler alert! - about a one-night stand. Prince wasn't the first to use a car as a metaphor for a woman and he won't be the last, but his catchy tune from the album 1999 will always rank among the best.
Where I got it…
Photo by Flickr user Count Rushmore.
Innlegg
