‘They Ain’t Writin’ Car Songs no More’

J. Freedom du Lac looks at the passing of a tradition: the fetishization of cars in popular music. Ike Turner started it all in 1951 with Rocket 88. And now?

Today, there are still automotive references in popular music, particularly in hip-hop. But they’re usually brief mentions that often aren’t about cars at all; instead, they’re sexual metaphors (“Girl you look just like my cars; I wanna wax it,” R. Kelly sings) or status signifiers (“I deserve to do these numbers/The kid that made that deserves that Maybach,” Kanye West raps).

I can’t say I miss the typical car song. Songs set inside cars are usually more interesting. Won’t Be Home by the Old 97’s, for instance. Or, perhaps my favorite, Wilco’s “Passenger Side”:

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