"Pink Cadillac" | ||||
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Song by Bruce Springsteen | ||||
A-side | "Dancing in the Dark" | |||
Released | May 3, 1984 | |||
Recorded | 1983 | |||
Genre | Rock, rock and roll | |||
Length | 3:33 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bruce Springsteen | |||
Producer(s) |
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Bruce Springsteen singles chronology | ||||
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"Pink Cadillac" is a song by Bruce Springsteen released as the non-album B-side of "Dancing in the Dark" in 1984. The song received much airplay worldwide and appeared on the Billboard Top Tracks chart for 14 weeks, peaking at No. 27. [1] The song was also a prominent concert number during Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. Tour.
Bette Midler loved the song and recorded it for her 1983 No Frills album. But after it was already recorded and ready for release, Bruce legally stopped her from doing so. However, "Pink Cadillac" had its highest-profile incarnation via an R&B interpretation by Natalie Cole, which became a top-ten single in 1988. [2]
Springsteen originally wrote "Pink Cadillac" as "Love Is a Dangerous Thing" in December 1981; this version was lyrically distinct from the eventual "Pink Cadillac" except for the line "Eve tempted Adam with an apple", which Springsteen decided to make the basis for a more lighthearted lyric. The first lyrics Springsteen wrote for "Pink Cadillac" were: "They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple but man I ain't going for that/ I know it was her pink Cadillac". The auto imagery was inspired by Elvis Presley's 1954 rendition of "Baby Let's Play House" in which Presley replaced the original lyric: "You may get religion" with: "You may have a pink Cadillac", a reference to the custom painted Cadillac that was then Presley's touring vehicle. [3]
First recorded by Springsteen in an acoustic version in early January 1982 in the session whose tracks would comprise the Nebraska album, [4] "Pink Cadillac" was not formally recorded by Springsteen until the sessions for his Born in the U.S.A. album, [5] in the spring of 1983. At the end of one session, when most of the crew had left the studio, Springsteen impulsively cut a basic track of him singing "Pink Cadillac" to his guitar accompaniment; this track was completed with the E Street Band the following morning. Although not included on the completed Born in the U.S.A. album, being bumped from the track list that April in favor of "I'm Goin' Down", "Pink Cadillac" was released in 1984 as the B-side of the album's lead single, "Dancing in the Dark".
The track would appear as one of two songs (along with "Cover Me") on a CD3 released in 1988, but was not included on any Springsteen album until Tracks in 1998, and 18 Tracks in 1999, both these titles being anthologies of Springsteen's outtakes-and-B-sides.
Springsteen's version of "Pink Cadillac" is often compared to the Peter Gunn theme by Henry Mancini, which it resembles in its main riff and saxophone break.
In 2006, Springsteen appeared on a recording of "Pink Cadillac" by Jerry Lee Lewis on his album Last Man Standing .
Performing the song live, Springsteen explained the song as being "about the conflict between worldly things and spiritual health, between desires of the flesh and spiritual ecstasy," in a long tongue-in-cheek spoken introduction. [6]
According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon: [7]
"Pink Cadillac" | ||||
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Single by Natalie Cole | ||||
from the album Everlasting | ||||
B-side | "I Wanna Be That Woman" | |||
Released | February 1988 | |||
Genre | Urban adult contemporary, dance-pop | |||
Length | 4:14 (Radio Mix) 4:20 (Album Version) | |||
Label | EMI-Manhattan | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bruce Springsteen | |||
Producer(s) | Dennis Lambert | |||
Natalie Cole singles chronology | ||||
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In mid-1987, American singer-songwriter and actress Natalie Cole recorded "Pink Cadillac" at the suggestion of producer Dennis Lambert; Cole recalls: "I thought to myself, 'I'm too old to be doing this kind of stuff', but then I'd never worked with anyone quite like Dennis before. He was very passionate about his work [and] his enthusiasm gave me the confidence that I could pull [the song] off." The track was intended for an album release on the Modern label; that project was canceled and Cole's "Pink Cadillac" and another Lambert production: "I Live For Your Love", were picked up by EMI-Manhattan Records to appear on Cole's 1987 album Everlasting.
"Pink Cadillac" was released as that album's third single in March 1988. In May 1988, the song reached number five on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cashbox Top 100, matching Cole's previous best with "I've Got Love on My Mind" and becoming her first top ten hit since 1978. "Pink Cadillac" also reached number nine on the R&B chart, number 16 on the A/C chart and, via a remix by David Cole (no relation) and Robert Clivilles, number one on Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. [8] It became her first top ten hit in the United Kingdom by reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart, her first top forty hit there since 1977.
According to Cole, "word got back" to her that Springsteen "thought it was very cool that a woman could [sing "Pink Cadillac"] and it would come out so great". [9] (Springsteen had vetoed a 1983 release of Bette Midler's version of the song as gender-inappropriate.)
Tony Reed from Melody Maker wrote, "Natalie struts her sassy stuff across a brass arrangement so punchy it runs Two Ton Tony Tubbs a close second, it's got a bottom end that should have the Wayne and Debbie clubs quaking, and an aesthetic mistake of a synth solo which, in kindness, we'll overlook. Think The Pointer Sisters circa "Neutron Dance", and you'll be on the right lines; a totally professional record her dad would be proud of, perfect MTV fodder, drive time music." [10]
The music video for "Pink Cadillac" was directed by Maurice Phillips. [11]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada) [43] | Gold | 50,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
"Pink Cadillac" | ||||
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Single by Jerry Lee Lewis featuring Bruce Springsteen | ||||
from the album Last Man Standing | ||||
Released | 2006 | |||
Recorded | 2005 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:59 | |||
Label | Shangri-La Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bruce Springsteen | |||
Jerry Lee Lewis featuring Bruce Springsteen singles chronology | ||||
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Jerry Lee Lewis covered the song on his 2006 album Last Man Standing with additional vocals by Springsteen himself. The single was released in 2006 on country music stations in the United States. The computer-animated music video premiered on CMT in November 2006. [44]
Bette Midler added "Pink Cadillac" to the set list for her 1982-83 De Tour tour and recorded the song for inclusion on her 1983 No Frills album; however, Springsteen blocked the release of Midler's version on the grounds that "Pink Cadillac" was not a "girl's song". [45] According to the Midler biography Still Divine by Mark Bego, Midler was severely disappointed by Springsteen's veto, which forced her to record a new track ("Beast of Burden") for No Frills at considerable expense. Midler's August 1984 video release Art or Bust video - comprising footage from the two De Tour concerts at the University of Minnesota - included "Pink Cadillac" as the opening number. [46]
Aretha Franklin is sometimes mis-credited as a singer of "Pink Cadillac" as the imagery occurs in her 1985 comeback hit "Freeway of Love" with the same metaphoric sense as in the Springsteen original, the lyric being: "We're going riding on the freeway of love in my pink Cadillac".
"Pink Cadillac" has long been a staple of Melissa Etheridge's live repertoire; at a 2 October 1996 Milwaukee concert by Etheridge, Springsteen joined her onstage to close the show with a duet of "Pink Cadillac". [47] [48] [49] Etheridge has never recorded "Pink Cadillac", although her live performance is widely available as a bootleg recording.
Carl Perkins recorded a version of "Pink Cadillac" on his 1992 album Friends, Family & Legends.
Southern Pacific released a version on their 1986 album, Killbilly Hill.
Brian Conley recorded "Pink Cadillac" for his 1993 Brian Conley Sings album.
The 2003 album Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen includes a rendition of "Pink Cadillac" by Graham Parker.
It appeared on the 2004 album Live in Asbury Park, Vol. 2 by Clarence Clemons and Temple of Soul.
Bobby Mackey released it as a single in 2011.
Grace Gaustad released a cover in February of 2022.
Natalie Maria Cole was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut album Inseparable (1975), along with the song "This Will Be ", and the album's title track. Its success led to her receiving the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 18th Annual Grammy Awards, for which she became the first African-American recipient, as well as the first R&B act to win the award. The singles "Sophisticated Lady" (1976), "I've Got Love on My Mind", and "Our Love" (1977) followed.
"Delta Dawn" is a song written by musician Larry Collins and country songwriter Alex Harvey. The first notable recording of the song was in 1971 by American singer and actress Bette Midler for her debut album. However it is best known as a 1972 top ten country hit for Tanya Tucker and a 1973 US number one hit for Helen Reddy.
"From a Distance" is a song by American singer-songwriter Julie Gold, initially penned in 1985. Gold's friend Christine Lavin introduced the song to Nanci Griffith, who first recorded it for her 1987 album Lone Star State of Mind. A successful cover version by Bette Midler was released in 1990.
"Wind Beneath My Wings" is a song written in 1982 by Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley.
"Chapel of Love" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector, and made famous by The Dixie Cups in 1964, spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song tells of the happiness and excitement the narrator feels on her wedding day, for she and her love are going to the "chapel of love", and "[they'll] never be lonely anymore." Many other artists have recorded the song.
"Don't Know Much" is a song written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Tom Snow. Mann was the first to record the song in 1980, gaining a minor chart hit in the US. The song was made famous when it was covered as a duet by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville in 1989. Their version was a worldwide success, topping the Irish Singles Chart and reaching the top 10 in several territories.
Divine Madness is an album by American singer Bette Midler and the Harlettes, released in 1980. It is a live recording taken from Midler's Divine Madness concert film, released the same year. The album, however, does not contain any of Midler's comedy routines and features only her musical performances from the show and it in fact only provides half of the songs that appear in the film. The original live recordings were also to a large extent edited and re-recorded in the studio for the soundtrack album.
No Frills is the sixth studio album by American singer Bette Midler, released on Atlantic Records in 1983. No Frills was Midler's first studio album in four years, following the movies The Rose, Divine Madness! and Jinxed!. The rock and new wave influenced album was produced by Chuck Plotkin, best known for his work with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, and included three single releases; the ballad "All I Need to Know", a cover of Marshall Crenshaw's "You're My Favorite Waste of Time" and Midler's take on the Rolling Stones song "Beast of Burden".
Some People's Lives is the seventh studio album by American singer Bette Midler. It was released by Atlantic Records on September 4, 1990, in the United States. It contains one of her biggest hits, "From a Distance," which won songwriter Julie Gold a Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1991.
"Dancing in the Dark" is a song written and performed by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen. It was the first single released ahead from his 1984 album, Born in the U.S.A., and became his biggest hit, helping the album become the best-selling album of his career.
"Streets of Philadelphia" is a song written and performed by American rock musician Bruce Springsteen for the 1993 film Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks, an early mainstream film dealing with HIV/AIDS. Released as a single by Columbia Records in 1994, the song was a hit in many countries, including Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, and Norway, where it topped the singles charts. In the United States, the single peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Springsteen's 12th and latest top-10 hit.
"Cover Me" is a song written and performed by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen. It was the second single released from his 1984 album Born in the U.S.A.. Springsteen wrote the song for Donna Summer. However, his manager, Jon Landau, decided the song had hit potential, and so he kept it for the upcoming Springsteen album. It has been certified Gold in the US.
"Under the Boardwalk" is a pop song written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick and recorded by the Drifters in 1964. It charted at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on August 22, 1964. The song has since been covered by many other artists, with versions by Bette Midler, Sam & Dave, Tom Tom Club, The Rolling Stones, Billy Joe Royal, The Beach Boys, Bruce Willis, Bad Boys Blue, John Mellencamp and Lynn Anderson all charting in the United States or overseas. The song ranked number 487 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004 and number 489 in 2010.
Beaches: Original Soundtrack Recording is the soundtrack to the Academy Award-nominated 1988 film starring Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey. Midler performs most of the tracks on the album, released on the Atlantic Records label. The album also reunited her with producer Arif Mardin. It features one of Midler's best-known songs, the ballad "Wind Beneath My Wings", which was a number-one hit.
American singer Bette Midler has released 13 studio albums, four soundtrack albums, five live albums, one spoken word album, seven greatest hits compilations, four video albums, 39 official singles, nine promotional singles, and 11 music videos.
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