[For Fun] Love songs inspired by cars and driving

Love songs inspired by cars and driving

If you aren't living under a rock, then you might have noticed that car culture doesn't exist in a bubble. The same goes for any group or culture out there.

As such, there are thousands of points where the interest of cars and other things like movies and tv-shows and songs intersect. There is an exchange of sorts that occurs and thus, car culture itself has become intertwined with pop culture in general. 

Check out love songs which were inspired by cars and driving from those eras until today

This started out as soon as everyone got their hold on cars but it was made more apparent in the '50s to the '90s. 

For this fun article, we'll be listing some notable love songs (and others not so much about love) which were inspired by cars and driving from those eras until today. 

Hang back and have fun, and enjoy the ride. 

1. “Maybellene” by Chuck Berry

“As I was motivatin' over the hill
I saw Maybellene in a Coup De Ville
A Cadillac a-rollin' on the open road
Nothin' will outrun my V8 Ford
The Cadillac doin' 'bout ninety-five
She's bumper to bumper, rollin' side to side”

Not all love songs are optimistic and that’s what exactly Maybellene is about; A guy driving a V8 Ford chasing after his eponymous cheating girlfriend who’s driving a Cadillac Coup De Ville. Spoiler alert, the Ford guy catches up with Maybellene’s De Ville on a hill.

The De Ville's a boat of a car. No wonder the Ford caught up

2. “Gas Gas Gas” by Manuel

“Gas gas gas!
I'm gonna step on the gas
Tonight I'll fly and be your lover
Yeah yeah yeah
I'll be so quick as a flash
And I'll be your hero”

Made famous by thousands of memes which are related to going sideways in a car, unsafe driving on public roads, and Initial D - one in many anime series that car enthusiasts will love, Gas Gas Gas is the anthem for the guy who wants to impress girls with their car and street racing the said car.

Yeah it might also apply to race on a track isn’t actually implied but it’s made famous by Initial D so there you go!

This is Takumi and his Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno. What a chad!

3. “Slow Ride” by Foghat

“Oh slow ride
Oh slow ride, take it easy
Slow ride, take it easy”

While Slow Ride vaguely talks about cruising around on a car at first, it quickly devolves on the second verse to innuendos. After that, the term “slow ride”, depending on who’s listening, will have a whole new meaning.

After the last Chorus, the word “easy” becomes “sleazy” which is then pretty obvious don't cha think?

Maybe "Slow Ride" also refers to the Chevy Chevette's underwhelming performance?

>>> Suggested for you: Top 9 Must-See Movies Showcasing Special Cars

4. “First of Summer” – Urbandub

“Parked car
This night sky
Makes city lights shine like diamonds
Our song plays on the radio”

First of Summer is an optimistic love song from Urbandub which we’re quite sure has also become THE song for hundreds of couples in the early 2000s.

Also, in the music video for the song, the main characters who are also a couple crashes their car. As for the song itself, however, it’s a bonafide anthem for the youthful, love-struck pair living in the city.

Just drive safely ok?

The said music video also features a drag race that involves a Mitsubishi Eclipse convertible. Is that you Roman?

5. “Jeepney Love Story” – Yeng Constantino

“Sumakay ako sa jeepney
Ikaw ang nakatabi
'Di makapaniwala
Parang may hiwagang nadama
Nang tumama sa 'yo
Ang aking mga mata”

As the title aptly puts it, it’s about somebody meeting his/her crush whilst commuting on a jeepney. As the song goes on, it’s pretty obvious that the guy/girl doesn’t have any plans to get off as long as his/her crush is aboard. Stalker much?

6. “Lovedrive” – Scorpions

“The city lights of London town
Are far away my hand is on her wing (on her wing)
I stop the car and she gets down
I'd like to show why Scorpions got a sting”

Sharing its title with Scorpion’s sixth studio album, Lovdrive, the song, is about driving fast on a highway whilst doing unspeakable things to a girl. And that’s putting it lightly.

Also, "love drive" sessions are made much easier with the Cadillac Flamingo!

>>> But make sure you know: How loud should you play your music while driving?

7. “Under my Wheels” – Alice Cooper

“I'm driving right up to you, babe
I guess that you couldn't see, yeah yeah
But you were under my wheels honey
Why don't you let me be?”

Alice Cooper pioneered the genre of “horror glam metal.” As such, we would not be surprised that the song “Under My Wheels” is literally about a guy strongly considering running his car over his naggy girlfriend. Yikes.

It might be a metaphor and if it was, it might have flown over our heads.

8. “Highway Star” – Deep Purple

“Nobody gonna take my girl
I'm gonna keep her to the end
Nobody gonna have my girl
She stays close on every bend
Oooh she's a killing machine
She's got everything
Like a moving mouth body control
And everything”

Born on a tour bus heading to Portsmouth in 1971, this song has become one of Deep Purple’s most popular. As for the song itself, It starts off by talking about the car very enthusiastically…nothing creepy there.

On the second verse, however, it begins to sound…weird. Weird as in the song likens the car to a girl, referring to it as a “she.”

“I love it and I need it
I seed it”

Woah, calm down buddy!

Maybe the song's about this guy and his "relationship" with his car?

Not love songs per se but awesome nonetheless

1. “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” – Primus

No…this song isn’t about dropping your nachos.

Written, performed, and recorded by Primus, one of the ’90s most underrated funk metal bands tells us the story of Jerry, who you guessed it, was a racecar driver who wasn’t that serious but instead was only participating in the sport to have fun. Jerry ends up wrapping his Oldsmobile 442 and himself on a telephone pole.

2. “Overdrive” – Eraserheads

“Magda-drive ako hanggang Baguio
Magda-drive ako hanggang Bicol
Magda-drive ako hanggang Batangas
Tapos magsu-swimming dun sa beach”

Like most Eraserheads’ songs, Overdrive is a staple for the youth of the ’90s and the early 2000s.

It mainly talks about the pleasure of driving from the point of view of a food-loving character. But then on the second verse, another character exclaims that other guy’s vehicle won’t start again…ever and then presents the alternative of going out to eat instead by listing scrumptious Filipino recipes.

>>> For entertaining:

• Top 10 movies you must watch if you are a car lover
• Best in-car entertainment ideas to fight boredom while in a long drive

3. “Dragula” – Rob Zombie

“Dig through the ditches
And burn through the witches
I slam in the back of my
Dragula!”

While most of his songs are about sexy and hot ghouls, ghosts and monsters, Mr. Zombie also has Dragula. Which you guessed, is about driving fast on a cool dragster.

The name “Dragula” also comes from Grandpa Munster’s car in the American sitcom, The Munsters. So yeah, it’s still about the hot ghouls, ghosts, and monsters.

Yep. The Dragula is a literal coffin powered by a 400 V8 Chevy small block

Love songs inspired by cars

We’re sure that there are many other songs related or inspired by cars out there, as such, this list is far from exhaustive. Also, we included only one song from Initial-D’s Eurobeat OST because those songs deserve their own article.

Did you enjoy this list? If you did, keep reading here on Philkotse.com!