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Question of the Day: What’s the Best Car Song Ever?

May 22, 2012BangShift Question Of The Day??32

Question of the Day: What’s the Best Car Song Ever?

One of the sad ways to tell that cars have largely fallen off of the cultural map these days is the fact that there are no car songs on popular radio anymore. That may be a good thing, because it would probably be a horrifying tune that praised the hell of out of a Camry or something instead of one that talks about Posi-traction, dual quads, or beating the snot out of other cars on the strip of the street. It has been argued that Jackie Benson’s “Rocket 88” is the first true Rock and Roll song ever recorded and that was a tune about tearing ass around town in an Oldsmobile. Good stuff.

While car songs are largely a thing of the past, there are so many of them that questioning which is best is pretty valid. From the Rip Chords iconic, “Hey Little Cobra” to Paul Revere and the Raiders rocking out to, “SS396″ along with Ronnie and the Daytonas heaping praise on the GTO in their tune, “G.T.O” (better known as Little GTO), it was car song mania during the muscle car era. We were a nation on wheels who loved every second of it. Now we have the Prius. WTF happened?

Here’s the question: Any era, any genre….what’s the best car song of all time?

 

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32 thoughts on “Question of the Day: What’s the Best Car Song Ever?”

  4. threedoor

    In a Yugo, Paul Shanklin. If he recorded it now it would be titled In a Prius. “A little liberal guy and a little liberal gal, in a Yugo…”

    1. threedoor

      But to be honest I love Maybelline, Chuck Berry. Love that one 1955

      The rain water poured up under my motor hood
      I knew that were doin’ my motor good

    1. crazy canuck

      yah what makes this one great is the supposed 409 is actually a 351 w in ushers mustang

      1. nxpress62

        The song was written in 1962. What year did mustangs come out? To steal a quote from the internet- The engine heard was a 348. The car was a 1958 Chevy owned by Gary Usher (it had 3 twos, 348’s didn’t have dual quads) and it was recorded out on the street in front of Brian’s house. I head that his neighbors called the police, but I’m not sure of that. I saw them sing this at a car show when they were just starting out. It was free and they carried their own insturments in and set everything up themselves. I remember Mike Love’s micraphone didn’t work but they sounded great.
        – Joe, Santa Maria, CA

  8. Guitarslinger

    Gotcha all beat on this one ! Hands down ! ( and then some )

    ” Roys Toy ” by Jeff Beck . Best intro ever for a car song . As badass as the hotrods he’s written it for . And to top it all off , written and performed by a GENUINE Gearhead Hot Rodder . Mr ( builds and maintains them himself ) Rock Guitar legend …… Jeff Beck . Not some attention seeking rock celebrity thats never gotten his/her hands dirty : trying to make a few sales by writing about cars .

    Gotcha !

  10. gary351c

    I agree with malcolm, Hot Rod Lincoln.

    “the telephone poles looked like a picket fence” 😀

  17. Gary

    Bruce Springsteen “ramrod”, and BTO’s “Roll on down the highway” although not about a hotrod still a great song to drive too.

  18. Car Song Singer

    1. Hot Rod Lincoln – Commander Cody/Charlie Ryan/Johnny Bond/Bill Kirchen
    2. Rocket 88 – Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats
    3. Little Deuce Coupe – Beach Boys
    4. G.T.O. – Ronny and the Daytonas
    5. Hey Little Cobra – Rip Chords
    6. 409 – Beach Boys
    7. One Piece At A Time – Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Three
    8. Low Rider – War
    9. Beep Beep – Playmates
    10. Pink Cadillac – Bruce Springsteen
    11. Maybellene – Chuck Berry
    12. Little Red Corvette – Prince
    13. Shut Down – Beach Boys
    14. Mustang Sally – Wilson Pickett/Sir Mack Rice
    15. Fun Fun Fun – Beach Boys
    16. The Little Old Lady (From Pasadena) – Jan & Dean
    17. Dead Man’s Curve – Jan & Dean
    18. Racing In The Street – Bruce Springsteen
    19. Mercury Blues – K.C. Douglas/Alan Jackson/Steve Miller Band
    20. 455 Rocket – Kathy Mattea
    21. Hot Rod Race – Arkie Shibley/Ramblin’ Jimmy Dolan
    22. Greased Lightnin’ – John Travolta “Grease” Soundtrack
    23. Drag City – Jan & Dean
    24. Ol ’55 – Eagles
    25. In My Merry Oldsmobile – Billy Murray
    26. Lord Mr. Ford – Jerry Reed
    27. See The U.S.A. In Your Chevrolet – Dinah Shore
    28. Last Kiss – J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers
    29. Drive My Car – Beatles
    30. Look At That Cadillac – Stray Cats
    31. My Hooptie – Sir Mix-a-Lot
    32. Long May You Run – Neil Young
    33. Cadillac Ranch – Bruce Springsteen
    34. No Money Down – Chuck Berry
    35. Cadillac Red – Judds
    36. You Can’t Catch Me – Chuck Berry
    37. Be Thankful For What You Got – William DeVaughn
    38. Jaguar And The Thunderbird – Chuck Berry
    39. Mercedes Benz – Janis Joplin
    40. Whose Cadillac Is That – War
    41. No Particular Place To Go – Chuck Berry
    42. Tell Laura I Love Her – Ray Peterson
    43. I’m In Love With My Car – Queen
    44. Ride On Josephine – George Thorogood/Bo Diddley
    45. Red Barchetta – Rush
    46. Roll On Down The Highway – B.T.O.
    47. Ain’t Nothing Wrong With The Radio – Aaron Tippen
    48. Radar Love – Golden Earring
    49. Old Betsy Goes Boing, Boing, Boing – Hummers
    50. (Seven Little Girls) Sitting In The Back Seat – Paul Evans
    51. Car Wash – Rose Royce
    52. Fireball Rolled A Seven – Dave Dudley
    53. The Ballad Of Thunder Road – Robert Mitchum
    54. You’re Not Safe In A Japanese Car – John Goldsmith
    55. Long White Cadillac – Dwight Yoakam
    56. Rollin’ In My Rolls – Moon Martin
    57. The One I Loved Back Then – George Jones
    58. Highway Star – Deep Purple
    59. Goin’ Mobile – The Who
    60. Terraplane Blues – Robert Johnson
    61. ’49 Mercury Blues – Brian Setzer Orchestra
    62. Cars – Gary Numan
    63. Race With The Devil – Gene Vincent
    64. Hot Rod Man – Tex Rubinowitz
    65. Still Cruisin’ – Beach Boys
    66. Let It Roll – Little Feat
    67. Hot Rod Gang – Stray Cats
    68. Rockin’ Down The Highway – Doobie Brothers
    69. Transfusion – Nervous Norvus
    70. Fishtail Blues – Wynonie Harris
    71. Crown Victoria Custom ’51 – Jerry Lee Lewis
    72. Voodoo Cadillac- – Southern Culture on the Skids
    73. V-8 Ford (Going To Your Funeral) – Buddy Moss
    74. Pontiac Blues – Sonny Boy Williamson
    75. White Cadillac – The Band
    76. Vehicle – Ides of March
    77. Dear Dad – Chuck Berry
    78. Built For Speed – Stray Cats
    79. I Gotta New Car – Big Boy Groves
    80. Buick 59 – Medallions
    81. Red Cadillac And A Black Moustache – Bob Luman/Warren Smith
    82. Jeepster – T-Rex
    83. Rapid Roy – Jim Croce
    84. Rev On The Red Line – Foreigner
    85. Cadillac Jack – Andre Williams
    86. Panama – Van Halen
    87. Makin’ Thunderbirds – Bob Seger
    88. Deuce And A Quarter – All The Kings Men
    89. Cars With The Boom – L’Trimm
    90. “T” Model Blues – Lightnin’ Hopkins
    91. My Old Car – Lee Dorsey
    92. Black And White Thunderbird – Delicates
    93. Don’t Worry Baby – Beach Boys
    94. Drive It Home – Little Caesar
    95. Black Sunshine – White Zombie
    96. SS 396 – Paul Revere and the Raiders
    97. Car Crazy Cutie – Beach Boys
    98. Motoring – Martha and the Vandellas
    99. Little Rivi-Airhead – Junior Brown
    100. Rusty Chevrolet – Da Yoopers

    1. Birdman

      Wow, great tune from a one-hit-wonder, Sniff and the Tears! Haven’t heard that song in decades!

  23. Hotrodrog

    Gary Usher wrote a lot of Hot Rod songs and recorded under different group names. The Super Stocks, The Hondells, The Grand Prix plus a ton more on LP´s and 45´s.
    And not to forget the King of the Surf Guitar: Dick Dale – The Eliminator LP. Loaded with thundering guitar and great songs. The most of these artists are on Youtube so check them out there.

  25. tigeraid

    Oh, and what about Megadeth – 1320? It’s a song about Top Fuel racing! From their last album.

  26. ELMER FUDD

    Kickstart My Heart, by Motley Crue…the First verse anyway.

    “Five-0-Ford” and “Big Red Rocket of Love”, by The Reverend Horton Heat

  27. nxpress62

    Radar Love, by Golden Earring
    Runnin’ Down a Dream, by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

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