Car Songs and Movies By Jeff Zurschmeide

There was a defining moment in the history of the automobile in the 1950s. Actually, there were a bunch of defining moments for automobiles in the 1950s, but the one we’re talking about today is that musicians starting singing songs about cars--in a big way. It was part of a broad cultural shift that also included the rise of the Teenager as a distinct cultural segment of western society and the birth of the Rock and Roll style of popular music. At the same time, as a nation we got rich enough for many adolescents to afford cars and have some spending money in their pockets.

OK, so enough with the academic analysis ­- what we care about is that the cars we love became the stars of songs and movies. Every old car enthusiast has his or her favorite song, and car-themed gatherings from pizza parlor cruise-ins to the swankest concours d’elegance always feature music from the golden age of cars. Similarly, every one of us keeps a personal collection of our favorite car movies. It’s just part of the car hobby.

The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) maintains a fantastic collection of car songs back to 1902--and you can even listen to them! Similarly, cars have been playing starring roles in movies since before the talkies, with the race car driver as a perennial favorite hero: Car Tunes at AACA.

But the car song really came into its own in the 1950s, and the car movie followed shortly thereafter. With songs like “Maybellene” recorded by Chuck Berry (and then copied shamelessly by Elvis Presley) and “Devil’s Hot Rod” by Johnny Taylor, the notion of the car song really took hold. It wasn’t long after those tunes that Elvis appeared in a whole string of car-themed movies like Speedway and Spinout.

By the 1960s, the car song was a staple--the Beach Boys sang more often about cars than about sand and surf! With hits like “409,” “Little Deuce Coupe,” and “Shut Down,” the Beach Boys led the way for acts like Jan & Dean’s “Dead Man’s Curve” and Ronny & The Daytonas’ “Little GTO.”

In the 1970s, the car song seemed to lose some of its youthful enthusiasm, but the decade still gave us a number of great car songs. In particular, “Hot Rod Lincoln” by Commander Cody and the iconic “I’m in Love With My Car” by Queen are memorable. The decade also saw the rise of Bruce Springsteen, whose songs often use cars as metaphors for life, love, and even death in the case of his well-known hit, “Cadillac Ranch.”

After 1970s, retro bands picked up many of the old hits from the 40s and 50s and gave them new life. David Lindley remade “Mercury Blues” and Alan Jackson gave us a country take on the same tune. Brian Setzer, both in the Stray Cats and the Brian Setzer Orchestra, has recorded a double-handful of car songs in the last 20 years.

The car movie has had its ups and downs. In my opinion, the animated feature Cars that came out in 2006 is among the best car movies ever made. But also high on the list would be Grand Prix with James Garner and Toshiro Mifune, and Le Mans with Steve McQueen. For car films that take place away from a race track, there are choices like Driving Miss Daisy and even the B-horror flick Christine where cars are central to telling the story. And there’s the ever-popular Herbie franchise, with the lovable and magical little VW bug.

In the world of short films, the top of any list includes Rendezvous, a 7-minute one-take shot of a screaming drive through downtown Paris. The director bolted a camera to the front bumper of a Ferrari and had a driver run it across the city at maximum speed without stopping for lights, traffic, or anything. When the film was shown, the French police arrested the filmmaker! Another must-see is the Sound of Speed by Bruce Kessler, an inside look at Formula 1 racing with Lance Reventlow and the revolutionary Scarab team.

As long as cars remain part of our world, there will be car songs and car movies -and there’s always more to mention and more to learn. There are far more tunes and films that I could mention here, so let me ask you to continue the conversation in our forums-­ tell us what we’re missing!