You know Bruce has gone full beast mode when he describes a Cadillac as “tearing up the highway like a big old dinosaur.” Turning a machine into an extinct reptile might sound odd, but it’s perfect imagery. He makes the car feel alive. It’s no longer just a Cadillac – it’s a living, breathing beast brought back to life. Bruce clearly had a thing for Cadillacs. He later wrote Pink Cadillac which Natalie Cole turned into a hit, but that’s a trip for another time.
Cadillac Ranch might well be the closest I’ve ever come to being a car guy. Automatically, Cadillacs became my favourite car make and remain so to this day – all because of this song. I reckon it was also one of the first straight-up Bruce rockers I can remember hearing. It certainly got my engines roaring as an early teen. It’s just plain fun. And how about the Big Man’s saxophone solo?! Whenever I hear it now, I can’t help but be transported back to those good old days of the excitement and exuberance of falling headfirst into all his music.
The following was extracted from the Wikipedia article below:
Cadillac Ranch was first released on Springsteen’s 1980 album The River. In 1981 it was released as a single in Europe, backed by Be True in France (see image above) and by Wreck on the Highway in the UK.
The song’s title comes from Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. Cadillac Ranch is a sculpture showing ten Cadillac automobiles with their hoods buried in the ground. Springsteen used Cadillac Ranch as a metaphor for his theme; that these once elite cars are now expendable.
Well there she sits buddy just a-gleaming in the sun
There to greet a working man when his day is done
I’m gonna pack my pa and I’m gonna pack my aunt
I’m gonna take them down to the Cadillac Ranch
Eldorado fins, whitewalls and skirts
Rides just like a little bit of heaven here on earth
Well buddy when I die throw my body in the back
And drive me to the junkyard in my Cadillac
(Chorus)
Cadillac, Cadillac
Long and dark shiny and black
Open up your engines let `em roar
Tearing up the highway like a big old dinosaur
James Dean in that Mercury `49
Junior Johnson runnin’ through the woods of Caroline
Even Burt Reynolds in that black Trans Am
All gonna meet down at the Cadillac Ranch
(Chorus)
Hey little girlie in the blue jeans so tight
Drivin’ alone through the Wisconsin night
You’re my last love you’re my last chance
Don’t let `em take me to the Cadillac Ranch
References:
1. Cadillac Ranch (Bruce Springsteen song) – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
Fun song I instantly liked, though as a proud German, I have to say nothing can beat a Porsche 911!😂
Porsches rock! I had the opportunity to drive one once & it was AWESOME.
I’ve never been a Cadillac person, but a former lover of mine had a 61 Caddy, baby blue with a white leather interior. Big as a house.
The question begs – how did you get that opportunity to drive a Porsche? Reminds me of that scene from the Al Pacino movie – ‘Scent of a Woman’.
I really liked the movie ‘Ford versus Ferrari’ as an underdog story of machinery in that case. Cadillacs remain my fav, but I am the least bit car guy lol
😂
I love songs about cars. Talk about a whole ‘nother subset of music. LOL
I’m not a car guy in the least – neither for the machinery nor much of the music – but this one rocked my socks off.
I’ve always been into cars. My cousins on my mother’s side used to own a car dealership ~ Dodge/Plymouth ~ they don’t even make Plymouths anymore. My father taught me how to shift gears when I was still pretty young ~ 10, 11. He would be driving & he’d push in the clutch & tell me what gear he wanted ~ the vehicle was a truck & I had to use both hands to get the car into gear. My first car was a 67 Plymouth Fury that had been my grandfathers ~ it was a real boat. After that, I had a 68 Chevy Chevelle for a short time ~ that was a standard ~ “3 on the tree”, as the saying goes. Then I got a Toyota Corolla ~ a 5-speed ~ & I absolutely loved that car. It got 35 miles a gallon in the city & 45 on the road. I smashed that car up ~ my first DWI.
I had a navy blue Mercury Marquis which looked just like the cops cars ~ cops drove Crown Victorias back in the day & the Marquis & the Crown Vics were almost the same car. I could be on the highway & drive 75-80 miles an hour & people would move out of my way ~ they thought I was a cop. That was fun.
I love the original Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson, James May & Richard Hammond. My son got me into that. He loves to drive too.
I don’t drive anymore because of DUIs ~ I have never been convicted of DUI or DWI but I haven’t had a license in 15 years. I miss driving but since they don’t make standard transmissions anymore, I would just as soon take public transportation or ride my bike.
It’s funny, you know, I find the whole car thing fascinating now. I learnt on an automatic, so I know jack-sh*t. Like, what makes a car tick, and how you can throw your troubles behind you and just work away on it for a while. I suppose it’s like how a writer goes about their business too. You see that, right? You’re a writer too.
I love how Americans describe their cars, like Bruce does with his Cadillac — a “big ol’ dinosaur.” And you with your first car — a real boat! LMAO. I also had a Toyota at one stage but couldn’t tell you the model since I didn’t give a frog’s fat arse. Your first DWI in yours, haha — God, that made me laugh. And driving around as if people thought you were a cop. Hilarious.
You lost me at Top Gear… since you’d have to hand-strap me to a seat to watch it. I also got a DUI and lost my licence for six months. I vaguely remember doing the court thingy, seeing as I may have been sober for part of it.
I don’t drive here in Bogotá and I take that as a good thing. Like you, I get around on public transport or just run. The only thing I miss is driving away on vacations. Bob Seger’s Against the Wind captures the freedom and wild escapism of driving and not giving a sh*t perfectly.
Remember I told you about John Patterson, my son’s uncle, who was a director? His older brother James Andrew Patterson ~ called Andy ~ lived in Cleveland & when I was with my son’s father, we were over at his place a lot ~ he lived in an old mansion with his wife & kids. He had a Porsche & he let me drive it once. I think he probably still has it.
Yes, I remember your uncle only too well. The ol’ mansion springs up Springsteen’s ‘Mansion on the Hill’ song. Oh wow that must have been exhilarating taking that baby for a ride. Thanks for elaborating on your experience Polly. So cool.
I saw this the other day…I love this song. Our band played this one a lot…I love that guitar riff that opens it up.