By Jim Prueter

(August 24, 2015) Ever since the Galvin brothers installed the first commercially successful car radio into a Ford Model A Deluxe Coupe back in 1930, Americans have been inexorably wedded to the notion of having music in their car while hitting the open road. For some, it’s the soothing background music of a Brahms concerto. For others it’s the full-on rush of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” as sung in a memorable driving scene in the 1992 film Wayne’s World.

Maybe it’s because of the proliferation minivans, SUVs or hybrids, perhaps there’s some other reason, but gone are the days when garage bands cared enough about their cars to write songs about them.

But, if so inclined, we can still beckon that era of discology, load our iPods, and hit the open road and cruise to what we think, in no particular order, are the 10 best car songs of all time. 

G.T.O. by Ronny & The Daytonas (1964)
The 1960s surf band’s debut single reached number four on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. It sold over a million copies, earning a gold record.
“Little GTO, you’re really lookin’ fine
Three deuces and a four speed and a 389
Listen to her tachin’ up now, listen to her why-ee-eye-ine
C’mon and turn it on, wind it up, blow it out, GTO”

Pink Cadillac by Bruce Springsteen (1984)
Both written and sung by Springsteen, it has also been recorded by artists like Natalie Cole, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis.
“I love you for your Pink Cadillac
Crushed velvet seats
Riding in the back
Oozing down the street.”

Little Deuce Coupe by The Beach Boys (1963)
The flip side of hit song Little Surfer Girl, it was written by Brian Wilson, who captured and glamorized the 1960s California lifestyle of cars and surfing.
“Well I’m not braggin' babe, so don’t put me down
But I’ve got the fastest set of wheels in town…
She’s my little deuce coupe.
You’ve don’t know what I’ve got.”

One Piece at a Time by Johnny Cash (1976)
He left Kentucky to work on an assembly plant in Detroit, smuggling out one piece at a time in his lunchbox to eventually build his own Cadillac:
“Now, up to now my plan went all right
‘Til we tried to put it all together one night.
And that’s when we noticed that something was definitely wrong.
The transmission was a ‘53
And the motor turned out to be a ‘73
And when we tried to put in the bolts all the holes were gone.”

Hot Rod Lincoln by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (1976)
First recorded in 1955, Hot Rod Lincoln has been covered by numerous artists over the years, including Roger Miller. It’s the signature song of Texas-based swing band Asleep at the Wheel. The actual Hot Rod Lincoln was auctioned off in January at Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale.
“Well, they arrested me and put me in jail.
I called my pop to throw my bail.
He said, ‘son, you’re gonna drive me to drinkin’
If you don’t quit driving that hot rod Lincoln.’”

Maybellene by Chuck Berry (1955)
A pioneering rock and roll hit, it’s all about a girl named Maybellene, but also about a race between a Cadillac and a Ford V-8.
“The Cadillac pulled up to a hundred and four.
The Ford got hot and wouldn’t do no more.
Oh Maybellene, why can’t you be true.”

Dead Man’s Curve by Jan and Dean (1964)
A teenage street race starts out on Sunset and Vine in Hollywood then goes deadly wrong at the 90-degree curve in the road. The song reached number eight on Billboard’s Top 100.
“I was cruising in my Stingray late one night
When an XKE pulled up on the right
And rolled down the window of his shiny new Jag
And challenged me then and there to a drag.”

Mustang Sally by Wilson Pickett (1966)
Over the years, the song been performed by many artists, but none better than Wilson Pickett, whose version climbed to number six on the charts in 1966.
“Mustang Sally, think you better slow your Mustang down.
You been running all over the town now.
Oh! I guess I’ll have to put your flat feet on the ground.
All you want to do is ride around Sally, ride, Sally, ride.”

Hey Little Cobra by The Rip Chords (1964)
In 1964, the Shelby Cobra was just beginning to make its mark on the race circuit, beating everything from Ferrari to Corvette to Jaguar. The timing was perfect for a hit song.
“I took my Cobra down to the track,
Hitched to the back of my Cadillac.
Everyone was there just a waiting for me.
There were plenty of Stingrays and XKEs.”

Fun, Fun, Fun by The Beach Boys (1964)
Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, it’s a real life song about a radio-station owner who let his college-aged daughter borrow his new Thunderbird. It peaked at number five on the Billboard chart.
“Well the girls can’t stand her
‘Cause she walks, looks and drives like an ace now.
She makes the Indy 500 look like a Roman chariot race now.
And she’ll have fun, fun, fun,
‘Til her daddy takes her
Takes the T-bird away.”

Jim Prueter is a freelance auto and travel writer living in Arizona. He is retired from AAA (American Automobile Association) Arizona where he served as senior vice president from 1998 through 2012. He currently writes for numerous magazines, blogs, newspapers and periodicals.