Oh Lord, won't you buy me...
06/27/2022
Well, what do you think? That's right: a Cadillac! Even though Janis Joplin's socially critical a cappella number is one of the most popular car anthems of the 20th century today (because it is completely misunderstood), the luxury brand from General Motors was far more popular with songwriters, at least in the 1950s and 1960s.
In the song "Bring my Cadillac back" from 1957, Baker Knight tells how his girlfriend runs off with his Cadillac - and that if he had to choose, he would rather have the Caddy back. Maurice King wanted a lavender Cadillac on his doorstep as early as 1951. Joyce Green wanted a black one, Pearl Bailey a gold one, Donna Lou a white one and Hal Willis a pink one. Vince Taylor also wanted a Cadillac in 1959. The color didn't matter, as long as the car was brand new.
Of course, the precious metal from Detroit was even more tempting when a young woman was behind the wheel. Bill Sherell and Doug Bowles dreamed of the Cadillac Baby and the Cadillac Cutie. Red Simpson had even more specific ideas: his Jeannie drove a light brown Cadillac. Incidentally, she has something in common with Nadine from Chuck Berry's song of the same name, in which she walks purposefully towards a coffee-colored Caddy.
The rock 'n' roll lyricist from St. Louis generally had a very close relationship with GM's top brand. There is hardly a Chuck Berry song that does not mention it. However, the love was never as clear as in 1956 in "No Money Down", in which Berry describes for three minutes how he imagines his ideal Cadillac - with all the chicanes up to the double bed in the rear. Only "Unsettled Society", which sang about 17 diamond-studded Caddys, was even more extravagant.
Bo Diddley, on the other hand, quickly got fed up with his "C.A.D.I.L.L.A.C." after he found it with punctured tires several times in the morning and the boat wouldn't start. However, he named one of his guitars after the luxury sled.
If you add up all the multiple recordings, Cadillac has a good chance of being the most sung-about car brand in the world. However, we do not have any precise studies. Probably not all singers were really interested in the brand and "Cadillac" was just a synonym for an expensive luxury car. Just like every red sports car is basically a "Ferrari". In any case, the cover of the album "Cadillac" by the Renegades shows a Buick Riviera...
