Car Song (Elastica song)

Last updated

"Car Song"
Carsong.jpg
Single by Elastica
from the album Elastica
ReleasedJanuary 1996
Recorded1994
Genre Britpop, alternative rock
Length2:25
Label Geffen Records
Songwriter(s) Justine Frischmann, Elastica
Producer(s) Elastica
Elastica singles chronology
"Waking Up"
(1995)
"Car Song"
(1996)
"How He Wrote Elastica Man"
(1999)

"Car Song" is a song by the Britpop group Elastica. It was originally released in 1995 on the band's self-titled debut album. It was released as a single in North America and Australia in January 1996 but was never issued in the UK.

Contents

The song received positive reviews from critics. It peaked at #33 on the US Alternative Songs chart and at #14 on the Canadian alternative chart.

Background

"Car Song" was written by Elastica's lead singer, Justine Frischmann. The song is about having sex in a car. [1] [2]

Release

"Car Song" was first released on Elastica's self-titled debut album on 14 March 1995. [1] Its five-track CD single was released in 1996 by Geffen Records. [3] Another version of the song, titled "Four Wheeling", was included on Elastica's compilation album, Elastica Radio One Sessions . [4]

Critical reception

"Car Song" received generally positive reviews from music critics. According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the song "makes sex in a car actually sound sexy". [1] Entertainment Weekly 's Chuck Eddy wrote that "Justine Frischmann's awkward sex-in-a-Ford-Fiesta forwardness ("Car Song") can charm your pants off." [5]

Chart performance

In the US, the single spent three weeks on the Alternative Songs chart and peaked at #33 on 23 December 1995. [6] It also spent nine weeks on the Canadian alternative chart, peaking at #14 there. [7]

"Car Song" was included on an episode of Gilmore Girls in addition to appearing on the show's soundtrack Our Little Corner of the World: Music from Gilmore Girls . [8] The song was also featured in TV show Hindsight .

Music video

The song's music video, directed by Spike Jonze, has been described as a "futuristic thriller combining elements of Blade Runner and Japanese monster films". [9]

Track list

CD single [3]

  1. "Car Song" [LP Version]
  2. "Car Song" (Live)
  3. "Bar Bar Bar" (Demo)
  4. "Jam" [II] (Live)
  5. "Gloria" (Live)

Charts

ChartPeak
position
Australian Singles Chart [10] 106
Canadian Alternative Rock [7] 14
US Alternative Songs [6] 33

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References

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  2. Pareles, Jon. "IN PERFORMANCE; POP". The New York Times, 4 March 1995. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Car Song - Elastica". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  4. Beets, Greg. "Elastica - Music Review". austinchronicle.com, 15 August 2003. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  5. Eddy, Chuck. "Elastica Review". ew.com, 7 April 1995. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  6. 1 2 "Car Song - Elastica". billboard.com. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Results - RPM" Archived 23 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine . collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  8. Hay, Carla. "Sound Tracks" Billboard, 28 September 2002, p. 14.
  9. Beebe, Roger and Middleton, Jason. Medium Cool: Music Videos from Soundies to Cellphones (Duke University Press, 2007), p. 308.
  10. "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 5 June 2015". Imgur. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.