Get
ready to rev your engines, Dialophiles! Tonight the Dial beams a
frequency to your speakers containing a top 10 smash from 1988, a song
which has unfairly been retired to the used-car lot of terrestrial radio
in successive years… Natalie Cole’s “Pink Cadillac”.
"You may think I’m foolin’, for the foolish things I do… You may wonder how come I love you, when you get on my nerves like you do…"
Extracted as the third single from Natalie’s 1987 “Everlasting” LP (following top 20 hits “Jump Start”, and “I Live For Your Love”, Pink Cadillac served as a major comeback for the singer, and was Cole’s first top ten hit (peaking at #5) since 1977’s “Our Love”.
Written by Bruce Springsteen, and originally issued by him as a B-side to his ’84 hit “Dancing in the Dark", his tale of lust in (or for…) the legendary car, received tons of airplay in my home market of Washington DC, but didn’t cross over as a top 40 hit. Since then, the track has become a regular feature in “The Boss’s” concert repertoire, and has been covered by several other acts aside from Ms. Cole, such as Melissa Etheridge, Graham Parker, Southern Pacific, and even two versions by rockabilly pioneers Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins!
Like many of my classmates, upon first listening to Natalie’s danceable pop interpretation, I thought I was listening to the Queen of Soul herself, Ms. Aretha Franklin! In hindsight, the confusion is understandable not only with the vocal similarity, but because Franklin’s 1985 hit “Freeway of Love” contains the lyric...
“We’re going riding on the freeway of love in my Pink Cadillac”.
Had Aretha actually laid down the vocals for this upbeat ditty, it would have been a perfect follow up to Franklin’s earlier automotive themed hit.
"They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple, but man, I ain’t going for that… I know it was her pink Cadillac, crushed velvet seats…"
Most music reviewers agree that Bruce’s original works on two levels. The innocent and humorous tale of a car fanatic dating a woman just because he loves her iconic ride, and also the racier interpretation that despite being with someone that is not his perfect match, he remains for the exceptional… *ahem* carnal benefits, the Caddy serving as a metaphor for those very pleasures of the flesh.
Though the lyrics remain unchanged, the vibe of Natalie’s smash takes on a lighthearted innocent flair, especially when she sings “waving to the girls, peeling outta sight”, you can practically see Natalie waving to her friends, yelling “whoooo-hoooo” and leaving them behind as she burns rubber down the street. Natalie truly loves that car, and stays with her man just for the ride.
Though, now that I think about it, it seems unlikely that a man would be a likely owner of a Caddy in the designated shade, no matter how tricked out it was. Hmmm, this song may create more questions than it answers… Take a spin with the dial, and arrive at your own conclusion!
"Hey man, there’s only one thing… and one car that’ll do. Anyway, we don’t have to drive it, honey, we can park it out in back, and have a party in your pink Cadillac."
"You may think I’m foolin’, for the foolish things I do… You may wonder how come I love you, when you get on my nerves like you do…"
Extracted as the third single from Natalie’s 1987 “Everlasting” LP (following top 20 hits “Jump Start”, and “I Live For Your Love”, Pink Cadillac served as a major comeback for the singer, and was Cole’s first top ten hit (peaking at #5) since 1977’s “Our Love”.
Written by Bruce Springsteen, and originally issued by him as a B-side to his ’84 hit “Dancing in the Dark", his tale of lust in (or for…) the legendary car, received tons of airplay in my home market of Washington DC, but didn’t cross over as a top 40 hit. Since then, the track has become a regular feature in “The Boss’s” concert repertoire, and has been covered by several other acts aside from Ms. Cole, such as Melissa Etheridge, Graham Parker, Southern Pacific, and even two versions by rockabilly pioneers Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins!
Like many of my classmates, upon first listening to Natalie’s danceable pop interpretation, I thought I was listening to the Queen of Soul herself, Ms. Aretha Franklin! In hindsight, the confusion is understandable not only with the vocal similarity, but because Franklin’s 1985 hit “Freeway of Love” contains the lyric...
“We’re going riding on the freeway of love in my Pink Cadillac”.
Had Aretha actually laid down the vocals for this upbeat ditty, it would have been a perfect follow up to Franklin’s earlier automotive themed hit.
"They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple, but man, I ain’t going for that… I know it was her pink Cadillac, crushed velvet seats…"
Most music reviewers agree that Bruce’s original works on two levels. The innocent and humorous tale of a car fanatic dating a woman just because he loves her iconic ride, and also the racier interpretation that despite being with someone that is not his perfect match, he remains for the exceptional… *ahem* carnal benefits, the Caddy serving as a metaphor for those very pleasures of the flesh.
Though the lyrics remain unchanged, the vibe of Natalie’s smash takes on a lighthearted innocent flair, especially when she sings “waving to the girls, peeling outta sight”, you can practically see Natalie waving to her friends, yelling “whoooo-hoooo” and leaving them behind as she burns rubber down the street. Natalie truly loves that car, and stays with her man just for the ride.
Though, now that I think about it, it seems unlikely that a man would be a likely owner of a Caddy in the designated shade, no matter how tricked out it was. Hmmm, this song may create more questions than it answers… Take a spin with the dial, and arrive at your own conclusion!
"Hey man, there’s only one thing… and one car that’ll do. Anyway, we don’t have to drive it, honey, we can park it out in back, and have a party in your pink Cadillac."
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