Things to consider:
Our culture loves to celebrate the car. From cult classics to classic tunes, we all have our favorites. Whether they’re the best or the worst is still up for debate – especially around the water-cooler. Here’s a list for you to debate around yours.
Road Music
Movies With Wheels
Hollywood Hotrods
Baby, You Can Drive My Car -- The Beatles
Asked a girl what she wanted to be
She said baby, can't you see
I wanna be famous, a star on the screen
But you can do something in between
Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And baby I love you
I told a girl that my prospects were good
And she said baby, it's understood
Working for peanuts is all very fine
But I can show you a better time
Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And baby I love you
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And baby I love you
I told a girl I can start right away
When she said listen babe I got something to say
I got no car and it's breaking my heart
But I've found a driver and that's a start
Baby you can drive my car
Yes I'm gonna be a star
Baby you can drive my car
And baby I love you
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Beep beep'm beep beep yeah
Road to Nowhere -- Talking Heads
Well we know where we’re goin’
But we don’t know where we’ve been
And we know what we’re knowin’
But we can’t say what we’ve seen
And we’re not little children
And we know what we want
And the future is certain
Give us time to work it out
We’re on a road to nowhere
Come on inside
Takin’ that ride to nowhere
We’ll take that ride
I’m feelin’ okay this mornin’
And you know,
We’re on the road to paradise
Here we go, here we go
(Repeat Chorus)
Maybe you wonder where you are
I don’t care
Here is where time is on our side
Take you there...take you there
We’re on a road to nowhere
We’re on a road to nowhere
We’re on a road to nowhere
There’s a city in my mind
Come along and take that ride
And it’s all right, baby, it’s all right
And it’s very far away
But it’s growing day by day
And it’s all right, baby, it’s all right
They can tell you what to do
But they’ll make a fool of you
And it’s all right, baby, it’s all right
We’re on a road to nowhere
Cars -- Gary Numan
(Early hit by 1970s Electropop-pioneer with passion for dystopian sci-fi imagery.)
Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It's the only way to live
In cars
Here in my car
I can only receive
I can listen to you
It keeps me stable for days
In cars
Here in my car
Where the image breaks down
Will you visit me please?
If I open my door
In cars
Here in my car
I know I've started to think
About leaving tonight
Although nothing seems right
In cars
Born to be Wild -- Steppenwolf
(Words and music by Mars Bonfire -- I've always thought of this as more of a biker anthem, myself, but YMMV).
Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin' with the wind
And the feelin' that I'm under
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
Like a true nature's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die
Born to be wild
Born to be wild
© MCA Music (BMI)
All rights for the USA controlled and administered by
MCA Corporation of America, INC
Pink Cadillac -- Bruce Springsteen
You may think I'm foolish
For the foolish things I do
You may wonder how come I love you
When you get on my nerves like you do
Well baby you know you bug me
There ain't no secret 'bout that
Well come on over here and hug me
Baby I'll spill the facts
Well honey it ain't your money
'Cause baby I got plenty of that
I love you for your pink Cadillac
Crushed velvet seats
Riding in the back
Oozing down the street
Waving to the girls
Feeling out of sight
Spending all my money
On a Saturday night
Honey I just wonder what you do there in back
Of your pink Cadillac
Pink Cadillac
Well now way back in the Bible
Temptations always come along
There's always somebody tempting
Somebody into doing something they know is wrong
Well they tempt you, man, with silver
And they tempt you, sir, with gold
And they tempt you with the pleasures
That the flesh does surely hold
They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple
But man I ain't going for that
I know it was her pink Cadillac
Crushed velvet seats
Riding in the back
Oozing down the street
Waving to the girls
Feeling out of sight
Spending all my money
On a Saturday night
Honey I just wonder what it feels like in the back
Of your pink Cadillac
Now some folks say it's too big
And uses too much gas
Some folks say it's too old
And that it goes too fast
But my love is bigger than a Honda
It's bigger than a Subaru
Hey man there's only one thing
And one car that will do
Anyway we don't have to drive it
Honey we can park it out in back
And have a party in your pink Cadillac
Leader of the Pack -- The Shangri-Las
(Link to Wikipedia entry.)
Is she really going out with him?
Well there she is, lets ask her
Betty, is that Jimmy's ring your wearing? mmhumm
Gee it must be great riding with him,
is he picking you up after school today? uh-uh
by the way, where'd you meet him?
I met him at the candy store
He turned around and smiled at me you get the picture?
Yes we see
Thats when I fell for
The leader of the pack
My folks were always putting him down...down, down
They say he came from the wrong side of town
Whatcha mean when they say he came from the wrong side of town
They told me he was bad
But I knew he was sad
Thats why I fell for
The leader of the pack
One day my dad said find someone new
I had to tell my jimmy we're through
whatcha mean when you say you had to go find somebody new?
He stood there and asked me why
But all I could do was cry
I'm sorry I hurt you
The leader of the pack
(Spoken)
He sorta smiled, and kissed me goodbye
The tears were beginning to show,
As he drove away on that rainy night, I begged him to go slow.
Whether he heard, I'll never know
Look out look out look out!
I felt so helpless what could I do
Remembering all the things we've been thru
In school they all stop and stare
I can't hide my tears but I dont care
I'll never forget him the leader of the pack
Gone, the leader of the pack and now he's gone.
Gone, the leader of the pack and now he's gone.
Gone, the leader of the pack and now he's gone.
Gone, the leader of the pack and now he's gone.
Gone, the leader of the pack and now he's gone.
Additional Material
Cars and Girls -- Prefab Sprout
(1980s/ 1990s Newcastle-Upon-Tyne pop combo and their critique of American road-as-metaphor-for-life imagery. Link to Wikipedia entry.)
Brucie dreams life’s a highway too many roads bypass my way
Or they never begin. innocence coming to grief
At the hands of life - stinkin’ car thief, that’s my concept of sin
Does heaven wait all heavenly over the next horizon ?
But look at us now, quit driving, some things hurt more much more than cars and girls.
Just look at us now, start counting, what adds up the way it did when we were young ?
Look at us now, quit driving, some things hurt much more than cars and girls.
Life’s a drive through a dust bowl, what’s it do, do to a young soul
We are deeply concerned, someone stops for directions,
Something responds deep in our engines, we have all been burned
Will heaven wait all heavenly over the next horizon ?
But look at us now, quit driving, some things hurt more much more than cars and girls.
Just look at us now, start counting, what adds up the way it did when we were young ?
Look at us now, quit driving, some things hurt much more than cars and girls.
Little boy got a hot rod, thinks it makes him some kind of new god
Well this is one race he won’t win,
’cos life’s no cruise with a cool chick
Too many folks feelin’ car sick, but it never pulls in.
Brucie’s thoughts - pretty streamers - guess this world needs it’s dreamers may they never wake up.
But look at us now, quit driving, some things hurt more much more than cars and girls.
Just look at us now, start counting, what adds up the way it did when we were young ?
Look at us now, quit driving, some things hurt much more than cars and girls.
But look at us now, quit driving, some things hurt more much more than cars and girls.
Just look at us now, start counting, what adds up the way it did when we were young ?
Look at us now, quit driving, some things hurt much more than cars and girls.
Mercedes Benz -- Janis Joplin
Oh lord, won’t you buy me a mercedes benz ?
My friends all drive porsches, I must make amends.
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So lord, won’t you buy me a mercedes benz ?
Oh lord, won’t you buy me a color tv ?
Dialing for dollars is trying to find me.
I wait for delivery each day until three,
So oh lord, won’t you buy me a color tv ?
Oh lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town ?
I’m counting on you, lord, please don’t let me down.
Prove that you love me and buy the next round,
Oh lord, won’t you buy me a night on the town ?
Everybody!
Oh lord, won’t you buy me a mercedes benz ?
My friends all drive porsches, I must make amends,
Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends,
So oh lord, won’t you buy me a mercedes benz ?
That’s it!
Tell Laura I Love Her -- Ray Peterson (also recorded by: Johnny T. Angel; Ricky Valance)
(Jeff Barry / Ben Raleigh wrote this early rock and roll classic of teen tragedy)
Laura and Tommy were lovers
He wanted to give her everything
Flowers, presents and most of all, a wedding ring
He saw a sign for a stock car race
A thousand dollar prize it read
He couldn't get Laura on the phone
So to her mother Tommy said
Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her
Tell Laura I may be late
I've something to do, that cannot wait
He drove his car to the racing grounds
He was the youngest driver there
The crowed roared as they started the race
'Round the track they drove at a deadly pace
No one knows what happened that day
How his car overturned in flames
But as they pulled him from the twisted wreck
With his dying breath, they heard him say
Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her
Tell Laura not to cry
My love for her will never die
And in the chapel where Laura prays
For Tommy who passed away
It was just for Laura he lived and died
Alone in the chapel she can hear him cry
Tell Laura I love her, tell Laura I need her
Tell Laura not to cry
My love for her will never die
Tell Laura I love her ....