The Cadillac is a classic. Since its founding in 1902, it’s a car that personifies luxury, class, and in the eyes of some, nearly all the Seven Deadly Sins: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Envy and Pride (I’ve removed Sloth since virtually all Caddies have big, powerful engines).
The Cadillac has inspired more impassioned songs about its charms than any other make or model. That’s a big deal. Because you really have to love something to sing about it. But a quick review of the 2010 Cadillac model lineup shows there is much to love (and lust after). These cars will fill their drivers with pride and make passengers green with envy.
So without further ado, here is our list of the "Top 5 Greatest Cadillac Songs." It's a list worth singing about.
5. Cadillac Assembly Line – Albert King
If you enjoy the sounds of Stevie Ray Vaughan, you’ll love Albert King. That’s because King was the single-largest influence on Stevie Ray Vaughan’s distinctive blues guitar sound. “Cadillac Assembly Line” is vintage Albert King, with his flying V guitar wailing, screaming and singing in the background. It’s like the distinctive sound of the 2010 Cadillac CTS and it's impressive 6 cylinders. Fire it up and you know you’ve got a lovingly assembled Cadillac machine.
4. Slick Black Cadillac – Quiet Riot
Metal and big hair ruled stadiums in the 1980s and Quiet Riot became the first metal band to place a single in the Billboard top 5 (“Cum on Feel the Noize”) and an album at the top of the charts (“Metal Health”) in the same week. That little metal record that could sold more than 6 million copies and also gave the world “Slick Black Cadillac,” the band’s ode to really fast, really black Cadillac cars. The car in question wasn’t just black; it had solid-gold hubcaps, too. For some reason, Cadillac singers are really fixated on colors (see #3 and #2 for more evidence). We think the late singer of Quiet Riot (Kevin Dubrow) would have been equally excited about the 2010 Cadillac Escalade EXT. It has speed. It has power. Plus it has an open truck bed where he could stow all his rock 'n' roll gear.
3. Solid Gold Cadillac – Pearl Bailey
This song by Pearl Bailey is a sly charmer. Recorded in the late 1940s, it’s a simple big band number sung beautifully by Pearl Bailey. In this song she’s willing to trade her 30 large hotels, dirty oil wells, buffalo herd, 40 brand new furs and a sporty new chauffeur, for a solid gold Cadillac. Elvis Presley once owned a Cadillac with 24 karat gold-plated trim. True story. While that’s a bit spendy for most of us, you can find a 2010 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid in Gold Mist. Isn’t that good enough?
2. Pink Cadillac – Natalie Cole
You’re probably expecting Bruce Springsteen here. But our editors gave the nod to Natalie Cole who turned Springsteen’s suggestive lyrics into a top 5 Billboard hit in 1988. Plus, it’s a much more charming (read: cheesy) video that screams late 1980s with its big hair, new jack swing and even more cheesy video effects. Listening to “Pink Cadillac” again, you’re transported to a simpler time when a woman (or a man in Springsteen’s case) can love someone solely for their car. A pink car, in fact, that sports crushed velvet seats and “oozes” down the streets. You want a car that oozes cool and speed, take the 2010 Cadillac STS for a spin.
1. The Clash – Brand New Cadillac
The Clash didn’t write “Brand New Cadillac.” That honor actually goes to infamous British rocker Vince Taylor. But The Clash made “Brand New Cadillac” their own on London Calling, their definitive release from 1979. Here’s the story: The singer’s “baby shows up in a brand new Cadillac.” She tells her man goodbye against his pleas because “she ain’t never coming back.” That’s it. Deceptively simple, yet devastatingly effective. I like to imagine “baby” driving off in the 2010 Cadillac CTS-V. With its 0-to 60 speeds of 4.3 seconds, she would be gone in a flash leaving a broken man behind.
Bonus: Worst Cadillac Song Ever: Geronimo´s Cadillac – Modern Talking
You can’t do a list of the “5 Greatest Cadillac Songs” without throwing in what is arguably the worst. “Geronimo’s Cadillac” performed by Modern Talking, Germany's most succesful band ever, is so bad it’s good. Really good. For all the wrong reasons. Cheesy lyrics. Silly outfits. Bad videography. Big hair. The 1980s were a rough time for Cadillac cars with failures like the Cimmaron, which was rushed to market in 1982 and discontinued in 1988. This song is equally wrong and forgettable. Achtung baby!
2010 Cadillac CTS