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13 Compelling Car-Related Songs (2026) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Filip Rankovic Grobgaard, Jibin Yesudasan, WoodysMedia from Pexels;  Gordon Johnson from Pixabay]13 Compelling Car-Related Songs features songs by Doechii, Jonny McGovern, Kendrick Lamar, Tate McRae, Teddy Swims, and Tracy Chapman. 

“No, you ain’t got no Mrs. / Oh, but you got a sports car.” Woo! Those are the immortal words of Canadian pop star Tate McRae. What more can you say but vroom, vroom! Long before McRae revved the engine on that sports car that “We can uh-uh in it” (aka ForUnderConsentoftheKing), Grammy winner Tracy Chapman serenaded us, singing, “You got a fast car / I got a plan to get us outta here.” As for Jonny McGovern, like the perceptive gay man that he is, he couldn’t help objectifying those collegiate hunks participating in a car wash: “Little shorts, big dick, … be flopping.” Gah-day-um! Refocusing, the common thread between these three songs that appear on 13 Compelling Car-Related Songs is C-A-R-S, cars!

13 Compelling Car-Related Songs isn’t our first rodeo with automobiles on The Musical Hype.  This list follows 10 Absolutely Alluring Songs About Cars (2020). The criteria are simple: all songs must at least reference something car-related in their song title.  No exceptions! 13 Compelling Car-Related Songs features songs by Doechii, Jonny McGovern, Kendrick Lamar, Tate McRae, Teddy Swims, and Tracy Chapman. So, without further ado, it’s time to drive and haul ass with these 13 Compelling Car-Related Songs! Hit that fuckin’ gas!


~ Table of Contents ~ 

1. Tate McRae, “Sports Car” 2. Teddy Swims, “All Gas No Brakes” (Ft. BigXthaPlug) 3. Lil M.U., “Top Of Cars”
4. Jonny McGovern, “Frat Boy Car Wash” (Ft. Adam Joseph) 5. Doechii, “Nissan Altima” 6. Kendrick Lamar, “GNX” (Ft. Hitta J3, Youngthreat & Peysoh)
7. Sage The Gemini, “Gas Pedal” (Ft. Iamsu!) 8. Scoochie Boochie, “Car Butt” 9. Beats By AI, “Scissored In My Chevy”
10. Arctic Monkeys, “The Car” 11. Matt Terry, “His Car” 12. War, “Low Rider”
13. Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car”    

 


1. Tate McRae, “Sports Car”

So Close To What » RCA » 2025

Tate McRae, So Close To What [📷: RCA]

“Where’d you put those keys? / We can share one seat.”
Hmm, wonder what Tate McRae is getting at on “Sports Car”?  No deep analysis is necessary – she’s being naughty! “Sports Car” is the third single and seventh track from her third studio album, So Close To What.  McRae, Julia Michaels, and producers Ryan Tedder and Grant penned “Sports Car.” It features mammoth drums and some whacky synths.  The sound is clubby with its hip-hop-infused pop vibes. McRae does a little bit of everything vocally – breathy vocals, ‘falsetto,’ and sexy whispers.  The keyword is ‘sexy’ as the big takeaway from “Sports Car” is naughtiness – sexual endeavors. “In the alley, in the back / In the center of this room / With the windows rolled down / Boy, don’t make me choose,” she sings in the pre-chorus regarding ‘where’ it ‘goes down.’

The crowning achievement is the chorus:

“I think you know what this is

I think you wanna uh

No, you ain’t got no Mrs.

Oh, but you got a sports car

We can uh-uh in it

While you drive it real far

Yeah, you know what this is

Yeah, you know what this is.”

Oh, the innuendo! “Sports Car” is a ‘thrill.’ McRae is having fun with him on this fun and titillating pop banger.

 

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2. Teddy Swims, “All Gas No Brakes” (Ft. BigXthaPlug)

I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Complete Edition) » SWIMS Int. / Warner Records Inc. » 2025

Teddy Swims, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Complete Edition) [📷: SWIMS Int. / Warner]

“All gas, no brakes / That’s the only way that I operate.”
That’s not optimal when driving, Teddy Swims (Jaten Dimsdale)! Reckless behavior! But when in love and lust, it’s hard to lift the foot off the gas: “If I’m gonna love you, I’m gon’ love you, babe / If I’m gonna learn my lesson, learn the hard way.” The Grammy-nominated pop-soul standout teams up with rap standout BigXthaPlug on “All Gas No Brakes”, which appears on the complete edition of Swims’ album, I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy. Swims and BigXthaPlug penned “All Gas No Brakes” with Ro$ama, Mags Duval, Kendrick Nicholls, and Julian Bunetta. Bunetta and KingJet produced it. The musical backdrop is smooth and soulful, sounding like a slice of heaven.  While it embraces throwback vibes, “All Gas No Breaks” also fits the bill in the 2020s.

“Now, ooh, you know what I wanna do / My favorite letter, baby, U /All or nothin’s how I move, ooh-ooh, yeah, yeah, yeah.” Not only is the backdrop smooth and soulful, but so is Teddy Swims. Additionally, he sounds commanding as he sings. Specifically, his falsetto is to die for. At the same time, he can also muster up some stellar grit. The chorus, excerpted earlier and performed by Swims at the beginning, is the centerpiece. It is memorable and tuneful to the nth degree. He adds:

“All gas, no brakes

Tell me where you want me, any time or place

I’ll go triple digits on my MPH

Just to see your face, yeah.”

Early on, through two choruses and a verse, Swims proves he came to kick ass and take names, through dynamic singing, of course! BUT, shoutout Swims’ capable duet partner, BigXthaPlug, who rides this pop-soul vibe like a champ! His deep, gruffer voice is an awesome fit, while he engages with his cadence and flow. “Know I’m all gas about you, baby / I’ll run up every hill, and I got asthma for you, baby,” he raps, adding, “I swear I never thought that you would give me this good feeling of healing / You got my heart just spinning, somethin’ like the fan on the ceiling, and I’m like.” Ooh-wee! “All Gas No Brakes” slaps in a cool, love-oriented, soulful type of way! Teddy Swims and BigXthaPlug did that!

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3. Lil M.U., “Top Of Cars”

Handful » Maya Unique Productions » 2025

Lil M.U., Handful [📷: Maya Unique Productions]

“On top of cars, on top of cars (Yeah) / On top of cars (Uh), shakin’ butt on top of cars (Yeah).”
Who doesn’t vibe with an ass-shaking bop? Peaches 🍑 shakin’ will never NOT be in! Twerking continues to be all the rage. Even the dudes are shakin’ dat booty these days! Lil M.U. dropped a brief but potent rap banger with the infectiously naughty “Top Of Cars”. On TikTok, everybody was going cray cray, washing their cars with the viral song as the soundtrack. Well, I’m not entirely sure the vehicles got washed, as the primary focus was shaking 🍑… and the clout of a viral moment.  Maya Unique penned this bite-sized gem while DeloMixedThis produced it.

The bridge, excerpted above, opted for butt rather than ass.  Butt, the chorus goes all-in on the ass! Following the intro, against that distinct, striking backdrop that sounds like it’s built on car horns, Lil M.U. drops the centerpiece, the chorus, in all its bootylicious glory!

“Outside with some pretty bitches that don’t know how to act

We be actin’ bad off liquor, all we do is throw it back

Shakin’ ass on top of cars, know I’ma fuck around and catch

All I hang around is baddies, you know we the biggest brats.”

Gah-day-um Maya! The chorus is the shit, but the verse slaps, too! Maya acknowledges her booty is little, but “I throw it like a ocean, I be flowin’.” Of course, he, whoever he is, lusts for her: “Yeah, he wanna bust me down, he tryna fly me out of town / This booty go up and round-and-round, love the way it make that clappin’ sound.” Oh, snap 🫰! Rather, oh, clap 👏! The outro marks an extension of the chorus, focused on the obvious – ass shaking! “Top Of Cars” is not deep, nor was it intended to be. If you don’t enjoy shaking your southside, well, this Lil M.U. joint is probably not for you.

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4. Jonny McGovern, “Frat Boy Car Wash” (Ft. Adam Joseph)

Man Areas » Jonny McGovern » 2025

Jonny McGovern, Frat Boy Car Wash [📷: Jonny McGovern]

“Rush week is my crush week / I’m ready to get hazed.”
I have no doubt you are ready to get hazed, Jonny McGovern.  It’s giving a heaping dose of masculinity… Hopefully non-toxic! Keeping it 💯, many frat boys are H-O-T 🥵.  They are easy to objectify, even if their behavior is questionable…  From the gay perspective, with frat boys, assumed to be heterosexual, being physically desirable, it plays into a gay fetishizing straight scenario.  But let’s bring it back down and focus on McGovern’s kick-ass bop, “Frat Boy Car Wash”. The gay bop maker taps Adam Joseph for the assist on the third track from his 2025 album, Man Areas. McGovern penned the song, while Joseph not only raps on it, but also produced it.

Jonny McGovern, Man Areas [📷: Jonny McGovern]“Frat Boy Car Wash” features sleek production work (Joseph).  The musical backdrop is hip-hop driven, set in a minor key. This is the perfect fit for a lustful, man-loving joint like this one 😍! Both McGovern and Joseph rap throughout, with the overall sound and vibe landing somewhere between pop and rap. McGovern drops bars, highlighting the hotness of frat boys.  He’s not wrong 🥵 😈. Haven’t some fraternity activities, such as hazing, given off a homoerotic vibe? Of course, there is also gay adult entertainment that plays up such stereotypes, taking things to the next level 😈, and again, fetishizing straights. Anyways, Jonny characterizes these bois as jocks with attractive bodies, amplified at their car washes where they, um, slip and slide all over the cars being washed. Unsurprisingly, Jonny mentions the D (“Little shorts, big dick, … be flopping”). The video clips co-sign the beauty of these college men, physically, as well as their confidence.  After all, in the fraternity, isn’t the body always bodying? That is the stereotype, and neither Jonny nor Adam Joseph backs down from it.  The entertaining, titillating music video highlights frat boys bodying, painting quite the portrait of gay desire.  Ultimately, Jonny McGovern is having fun on “Frat Boy Car Wash”.  Much can be read into the silly, tongue-in-cheek, horny lyrics, but it’s probably best to take it with a grain of salt.

Jonny McGovern on The Musical Hype:

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5. Doechii, “Nissan Altima”

Alligator Bites Never Heal » Top Dawg Entertainment / Capitol » 2024

Doechii, Alligator Bites Never Heal [📷: Top Dawg Entertainment / Capitol]

“Wake up, A-cup, get your tits sucked / In my makeup, face-fuck, get your bake up.”
Da-yum, Doechii! The Grammy-winning rapper dropped a rap banger in “Nissan Altima” more entertaining than driving a Nissan Altima.  The rapper’s fast-paced, explicit, and unapologetic rhymes are engaging and fun.  The chorus of this highlight from Alligator Bites Never Heals gets off to a roaring start as Doechii shows off an epic cadence and flow.  “Rates up, jig’s up, put your dicks up / Get your dicks sucked, put your motherfuckin’ sticks up.” Childish Major produced “Nissan Altima,” giving Doechii a mean backdrop to ‘kick ass and take names’ over.  It’s more than ‘sucking’ in the chorus.  “But bougie mean she freaky, cunnilingus, Dalai Lama / Doechii cooler than a fan, but she get hotter than a sauna.” Beyond the sex references, she’s confident, asserting, “I’m the new hip-hop Madonna, I’m the trap Grace Jones.” Also, she’s unafraid to share her sexual preferences, adding, “I’m a real fly bitch, you in coach ho / I’m a real bi bitch, every coast, ho.” In the equally entertaining second verse, regarding sexuality, she adds, “She swapped the old nigga for a bitch, ain’t new, new / She munchin’ on the box while she watchin’ Hulu.” A Nissan Altima (the car) is never named in the song but appears as the car of choice in the music video. “Nissan Altima” was easily one of the best rap performances and songs of 2024. BANGER EXTRAORDINAIRE!

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6. Kendrick Lamar, “GNX” (Ft. Hitta J3, Youngthreat & Peysoh)

GNX » pgLang / Interscope » 2024

Kendrick Lamar, GNX [📷: pgLang / Interscope]

“Tell ‘em Kendrick did it.”
Woo! Indeed, Kendrick Lamar ‘did it’ on “GNX”, the 11th track from his Grammy-winning album, GNX, released in 2024. Interestingly, the song was recorded just days before the album dropped.  GNX references a short-lived (1987) turbocharged coupe, the Buick GNX (Grand National Experimental). Lamar owns the rare car, which was released the same year he was born. Less heralded than other songs on the album, I find Hitta J3, YoungThreat, and Peysoh-assisted cut to be an entertaining, kick-ass, minimalist banger. “GNX” debuted at number 24 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Despite a minimal sound led by piano and 808s, there are five credited producers: Sounwave, Jack Antonoff (an executive producer), Rascal, Kenny & Billy, and Tim Maxey.

“GNX” bangs from the beginning.  It begins with the memorable chorus by K-Dot, which is Compton through and through.

“Tell ‘em Kendrick did it, ayy, who showed you how to run a blitz?

Tell ‘em Kendrick did it, who put the West back in front of shit?

Tell ‘em Kendrick did it, ayy, I’m trippin’ and I’m lovin’ it

Tell ‘em Kendrick did it, like wha—

Hi, have you ever been a joint and you know it?

Have you ever had to flip your unemployment?

On the dead guys, nigga, I aint goin’.”

He sets the tone for the rappers who follow. Peysoh raps the first verse, referencing murder several times (“All of my killers on go, like, who said somethin’? / Redrum, all I think about when I see heads come”). Hitta J3 takes the reins in the second verse, recollecting four different ages: 13, 14, 21, and 25.  “Ayy, like it’s Iraq, shooter name Hussein / Ridin’ with the dirty blicky, switchy, make a new flame,” he spits, concluding, “She said I been a dog all my life, bae, can you change? / True to my religion, Cuban links, more than two chains.” YoungThreat is the final voice heard, dropping some mean pop cultural references including “Get on my Bob the Builder shit, get down with the pliers,” and “I’m with some rockstar bitches, they want Lizzie McGuire.” Woo! All silliness aside, he concludes by asserting, “I kept my mouth closed, and I ain’t never leave no witness / D.O.A. up on the scene, tell ‘em YoungThreat did it, nigga.” Word 💯! Kendrick Lamar and company bring fire to “GNX”, soundtracking the rare sports car and most of all, Compton.

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7. Sage The Gemini, “Gas Pedal” (Ft. Iamsu!)

Remember Me » EMPIRE Recordings Inc. » 2014

Sage The Gemini, Remember Me (Deluxe Edition) [📷: EMPIRE Recordings Inc.]

“Black money, let them hoes say amen.”
Oh, snap! Bay Area rapper and producer Sage The Gemini (Dominic Woods) dropped an irresistible, sexed-up banger with “Gas Pedal”. Beyond them hoes amen-ing, he references oral sex several times in the verse (“Room full of boppers, tell them give me topper,” and “Fee-fi-fo-fum, large meat in your throat, heh”), and, of course, ass (“Got a booty like Hoopz, I’m tryna to make-it, whoa”).  It doesn’t take long to see where Sage’s mind is and what he desires… “Gas Pedal” arrived in 2013 and initially appeared on the Gas Pedal EP. It reappeared as the fourth track from the rapper’s 2014 album, Remember Me.  Sage Gemini tapped rapper Iamsu! for the assist. Both rappers penned it, while Sage also produced it.  “Gas Pedal” peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Before he raps the first verse, Sage The Gemini establishes the tone with the chorus.  The H-h-h-h-holy shit! preceding the best and most memorable section of the song feels 100% accurate.  He brings it with a compelling cadence and flow over the minimal, but potent, dirty-sounding, minor-key, synth-led backdrop. “Slow down, grab the wall / Wiggle like you tryna make your ass fall off,” he spits, and continues, “Hella thick, I wanna smash ‘em all / Now speed up, gas pedal / Gas pedal (Gas pedal), gas pedal (Gas pedal).” Sage returns later with the bridge, keeping things carnal (“She got a booty so big it’s like a Ferris wheel”). Iamsu! raps the second verse, raising eyebrows with the bar, “And her boyfriend a bitch, call him Tyler Perry.” Like Sage, sex is still the modus operandi, whether it’s “On my way to the cake, no bakery,” referencing booty, or “Got two hoes with me, make my old bitch hate me.” “Gas Pedal” lacks substance, but the sex conveyed and the swagger of Sage The Gemini and Iamsu! is lit. It’s not shocking that this top 40 hit earned a revival via TikTok, specifically, the dance called yiking.

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8. Scoochie Boochie, “Car Butt”

“Car Butt” » DistroKid » 2024

Scoochie Boochie, Car Butt [📷: DistroKid]

“I drive around on my butt like a car (What?) / Picture Mario Kart, no kart.”
Oh, boy… Scoochie Boochie is quite the character.  His tail-end of 2024 single, “Car Butt”, should be taken with a grain of salt. That, folks, is a massive understatement! He continues rapping in the chorus, “Huh, huh, huh, huh, and the gas? That’s farts (Brrt) / If I can stand up, then I find a place to park.” “Car Butt” features a sleek hip-hop musical backdrop produced by Oddwin. Scoochie Boochie delivers a melodic rap performance throughout.  Like the chorus, the lyrics in the verses are silly as well.

“Yeah, my behind is my vehicle / Like a lady, I sit down when I need to go (Like piss),”
he raps in the first verse, continuing, “Fully tinted shades, and I keep it low / The eyes are the window to the Kia Soul.” A Kia Soul, huh? Sure, sure.  Because he is the car itself,  “My motor oil is beer … / The windshield wiper fluid is my tears.”  Word. There is more ‘car butting’ in the second verse:

“If I’m goin’ ‘beep,’ I’m in reverse (Beep, beep)

Grab the shaft, and she put it in first

If I’m in a crash, I won’t get hurt (Nope)

The airbag is a pillow in my shirt (Yes).”

The sexual innuendo should come as no surprise – you knew it was coming.  There’s also a few more anatomical moments such as, “I just got a wax, butt cheeks (Yes) / Cables on my nippies, jump me.” “Car Butt” is ‘something else.’

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9. Beats By AI, “Scissored In My Chevy”

“Scissored In My Chevy” » Beats By Ai » 2025

Beats By AI, Scissored In My Chevy [📷: Beats By Ai]

“Getting scissored in my Chevy had me breathing so heavy / When she pulled my flannel panties off, it broke my levee.”
😳 😳 😳… Face it, folks. Beats By AI is one freaky mf.  While country music has loosened up more compared to the past, there is still a limit to the acceptable amount of curse words and sex.  And when it comes to queer relationships and sex… watch out! But, because it is an AI song, and outlandishness is striking, the more risqué and queerer, the better! I have written about the queer AI songs, but we can’t leave the girls out! “Scissored In My Chevy” gives us a brief but potent, NSFW, TMI queer female AI song!

From the beginning, “Scissored In My Chevy” is bold. Tribadism is referenced in the title (scissors) and appears in the first line. At the end of the first verse, the nameless AI singer describes their encounter as “love at first queef.” Damn! The queef gets her going, and she asserts, “Damn, I scissor so good with you.” Again, I say, damn!  Of course, Beats By AI has to top everything they’ve presented in the song already, with less than a one-and-a-half-minute runtime.  Fittingly, they’re “Scissoring sweet in deep Tennessee / And letting our lesbian pussies queef.” K… There’s more, and it’s more NSFW: “We’re rubbing roast beef in the Dixie heat / It’s a melody making our mufflers sing.” Gah-day-um! Holy scissors – I mean – holy shite! After finishing and arriving home late, Ms. Beats By AI apologizes to daddy, asserting, “I was just fishing again, can’t you smell it?” Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh boy! Anything Beats By AI should be taken with a grain of salt… perhaps the entire saltshaker! But, if nothing else, “Scissored In My Chevy” is a striking, overt lesbian sex song.  Yee-haw, cowgirl 🤠!

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10. Arctic Monkeys, “The Car”

The Car » Domino » 2022

Arctic Monkeys, The Car [📷: Domino]

“Your grandfather’s guitar / Thinkin’ about how funny I must look,”
Alex Turner sings on “The Car,” the fifth track on Arctic Monkeys’ 2022 album of the same name. Turner adds in the first verse, “Tryin’ to adjust to what’s been there all along.” Sigh, captivating, as always.

“The Car” thrives off gorgeous piano, rhythmic guitar lines, and a robust bass line. Set in a minor key, Turner continues to compel with his mysterious, radiant vocals. Like many of the songs on The Car, “The Car” features unexpected harmonic twists and turns and odd resolutions.  As the record begins to percolate, lush strings enter the mix. An assertive, full-on rock guitar solo is totally unexpected but provides a welcome contrast.

~ Table of Contents ~

11. Matt Terry, “His Car”

“His Car” » Future x MT13 » 2024

Matt Terry, His Car [📷: Future x MT13]

“Told your family about me, I never did.”
Uh-oh! Sounds like a case of fear, secrecy, and internalized homophobia from Matt Terry.  He admits, at the end of the first verse, “Now all I see in that mirror, a hypocrite.” Why? Throughout “His Car”, he expresses the mistakes he made in his first same-sex relationship.  Terry had a good man and he ‘did him wrong’ by not allowing himself to be true – live openly as a gay man without reservations. Matt got in his own way…  He expounds more in the second verse, asserting, “Out in the streets I wouldn’t hold your hand / Oh why, I was way too young to understand.” The experience Terry sings about is sad, but it also isn’t far-fetched for members of the LGBTQ+ 🏳️‍🌈 community. Shame is huge in the community.  Sadly, shame can derail something meaningful and promising. Same-sex relationships can be challenging for various reasons.  If you are fortunate enough to find that special someone, it can be devastating if you let the opportunity for something great pass. In the thoughtful, utterly sincere chorus, he apologizes, even though he knows it’s far too late:

“I used to kiss him in the back of his car

Hiding from the world who we are

I’m sorry for every single lie

I told him you should go and bury your heart

My parents won’t ever know about us

I keep wishing that I could go back in time

To apologize

To apologize.”

“His Car” is a gem.  Terry and producer Xoro composed an authentic three-minute ballad.  Terry sings beautifully with the utmost sincerity.  The theme is relatable and also heartbreaking.  Why can’t we be free to live our lives without complications?

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12. War, “Low Rider”

Why Can’t We Be Friends? » Far Out Productions, Inc. / Rhino Entertainment » 1975

War, Why Can't We Be Friends? [📷: Far Out Productions, Inc.]

“All my friends know the low rider /… The low rider is a little higher.”
Grammy-nominated funk band War is renowned for some banging songs.  Among the crème de la crème is the infectious and timeless “Low Rider”. “Low Rider” is the seventh track from their 1975 album, Why Can’t We Be Friends?. The song is an ode to lowrider Chicano (Mexican American) culture. A rousing success on the pop charts, it peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.  The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. “The low rider drives a little slower / Low rider is a real goer.” Indeed!

So, what makes “Low Rider” a surefire funk vibe? First and foremost, the cowbell riff is iconic! Beyond the cowbell, the record features stellar percussion (the Latin percussion and flavor, particularly) and drum groove.  An epic bass line (B.B. Dickerson, 1949 – 2021) and the percussion machine established is everything.  Adding to everything is the music theory 🤓!  The harmonic progression stands out. It thrives on a G dominant seventh chord (G-B-D-F), sometimes, an extended G9 chord (G-B-D-F-A), as well as a C chord (IV in the G major, minor.  While it sounds mixolydian (G, A, B, C, D, E, F), a bluesy B-flat pops up within the melody multiple times.  Even with the note that should make the song sound more minor than major, “Low Rider” always sounds like it is in a major key… with that lowered seventh. Beyond the quirks that make “Low Rider” a bop, there are also the memorable lyrics sung with playful vocals (“Low rider don’t use no gas now / The low rider don’t drive too fast”).  Horn riffs add to the allure of this classic.  There are plenty of moments that allow the accompaniment to shine beyond the lyrics.  A soulful saxophone solo caps off “Low Rider”, an iconic, infectious, and timeless classic from War.

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13. Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car”

Tracy Chapman » Elektra » 1988

Tracy Chapman, Tracy Chapman [📷: Elektra]

“You got a fast car / I got a plan to get us outta here / I been working at the convenience store / Managed to save just a little bit of money.”
Just those excerpted lyrics from “Fast Car”, the sensational Tracy Chapman masterpiece, which she composed herself, encompass ambition, escaping from an unideal place, and narrativize a couple seeking a better life that feels incredibly authentic and relatable.  In the second verse of her top-10 hit (number six on the Billboard Hot 100), Chapman adds, “You and I can both get jobs / Finally see what it means to be living.” That statement truly hits home, speaking to the plight of the working class. That’s just one excerpt from this Grammy-winning song (Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female). Chapman would also win Grammys at the 31st Annual GRAMMY Awards for Best New Artist and Best Contemporary Folk Recording, also nominated for Record, Song, and Album of the Year for Tracy Chapman (1988). “See, my old man’s got a problem / He lives with a bottle, that’s the way it is,” Chapman continues singing, authentic to the nth degree.

Vocally, Chapman exemplifies the singer/songwriter sound.  She’s expressive and nuanced, but she never forces things or over-sings. Her tone is pure from the onset.  Tracy brings poise throughout the verses yet simultaneously sounds commanding and firmly in control – it’s hypnotic to a degree.  The chorus provides a welcome change of pace, finding her upping the intensity.  The drums contribute to this temporary dynamic burst before the return of the even-keel verses.

“So, I remember when we were driving, driving in your car

Speed so fast, I felt like I was drunk

City lights lay out before us

And your arm felt nice wrapped ‘round my shoulder

And I-I, had a feeling that I belonged

I-I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone.”

It’s not just the lyrics, narrative, theme, or vocals that make “Fast Car” a surefire classic.  The production (David Kershenbaum) and musical accompaniment, although relatively simple, is perfect for this folk, soft rock gem.  Guitars, bass, drums, and percussion are more than enough to fuel the fire. “Fast Car” is truly a once-in-a-lifetime song, one that remains beloved more than three decades later.

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~ Table of Contents ~ » ~ intro ~

13 Compelling Car-Related Songs (2026) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Beats By Ai, Capitol, DistroKid, Domino, Elektra, EMPIRE Recordings Inc., Far Out Productions, Inc., Future x MT13, Interscope, Jonny McGovern, Maya Unique Productions, pgLang, RCA, Rhino Entertainment, SWIMS Int., Top Dawg Entertainment, Warner Records Inc.; Filip Rankovic Grobgaard, Jibin Yesudasan, WoodysMedia from PexelsGordon Johnson from Pixabay]

 

Categories: EvergreenLGBTQMusicPlaylistsPop Culture

the musical hype

The Musical Hype (he/him) has earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in music (music education and music theory/composition, respectively). A multi-instrumentalist, he plays piano, trombone, and organ among numerous other instruments. He's a certified music educator, composer, and freelance music blogger. Music and writing are two of the most important parts of his life.

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