Music Blog

Get Your Motor Running

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for Song Lyric Sunday –
Driving With Music
Here’s how the theme inspired me.

1964 Ford Thunderbird
© DeansGarage.com

Over at Jim Adams’ Song Lyric Sunday this week, the theme is Driving With Music. Our challenge, brought to us by our friend, Clive at Take It Easy, is to write about a song that mentions either cars or trucks. This week I’m going all American with a couple of rockin’ songs by two groups from the USA.

My first group needs little introduction. The Beach Boys formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961 with brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Dennis Wilson, an avid surfer, suggested they write songs about the sport, leading to their first single, “Surfin'”. Initially called the Pendletones, the band became famous for its “California Sound”, blending vocal harmonies with lyrics about surfing, cars, and youth culture. Brian Wilson was the creative genius behind their music, composing most of their songs and becoming their producer. His ambition led to increasingly sophisticated and innovative work, including the groundbreaking Pet Sounds album. 

The Beach Boys recorded 20–30 songs about cars, including a concept album called Little Deuce Coup, with all the tracks based on cars. The song I’ve chosen for this week is “Fun, Fun, Fun” from their 1964 album, Shut Down, Vol. 2. The story behind “Fun, Fun, Fun” is about a real-life incident where the daughter of a Salt Lake City radio station owner borrowed her father’s Ford Thunderbird to go joyriding and meet up with friends at a hamburger joint instead of going to the library, as she told her father. Brian Wilson and Mike Love were at the radio station for an interview, overheard the girl complaining about her father taking the car away, and were inspired to write the song.

This is “Fun, Fun, Fun” by the Beach Boys

LYRICS

Well, she got her daddy’s car
And she cruised through the hamburger stand now
Seems she forgot all about the library
Like she told her old man now
And with the radio blastin’
Goes cruisin’ just as fast as she can now

And she’ll have fun, fun, fun
‘Til her daddy takes the T-Bird away
(Fun, fun, fun ’til her daddy takes the T-Bird away)

Well, the girls can’t stand her
‘Cause she walks, looks and drives like an ace now
(You walk like an ace now, you walk like an ace)
She makes the Indy 500 look like the Roman chariot race now
(You look like an ace now, you look like an ace)
A lotta guys try to catch her
But she leads them on a wild goose chase now
(You drive like an ace now, you drive like an ace)

And she’ll have fun, fun, fun
‘Til her daddy takes the T-Bird away
(Fun, fun, fun ’til her daddy takes the T-Bird away)

Well, you knew all along
That your dad was gettin’ wise to you now
(You shouldn’t have lied now, you shouldn’t have lied)
And since he took your set of keys
You’ve been thinkin’ that your fun is all through now
(You shouldn’t have lied now, you shouldn’t have lied)
But you can come along with me
‘Cause we gotta a lot of things to do now
(You shouldn’t have lied now, you shouldn’t have lied)

And we’ll have fun, fun, fun now that daddy took the T-Bird away
(Fun, fun, fun now that daddy took the T-Bird)
And we’ll have fun, fun, fun now that daddy took the T-Bird away
(Fun, fun, fun, now that daddy took the T-Bird away)

Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Brian Douglas Wilson/Mike E. Love
Fun, Fun, Fun lyrics © Irving Music Inc., Sea Of Tunes Publishing Co Inc

From superstars to a one hit wonder. Up next is a group called Ides of March, an American jazz rock band that had only one major US hit song. The group began in a suburb of Chicago in October 1964 as a four-piece band called the Shon-Dels. In 1966 they changed their name to the Ides of March and for the next few years released some songs that were struggling hits played on local radio stations. In 1970, the band signed with Warner Brothers Recording and released the track “Vehicle”, which became the fastest-selling single in Warner’s history! The song sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc in 1972.

Written by vocalist and frontman Jim Peterik, “Vehicle” is the true story about a girl who often used Peterik as her mode of transportation, leading him to surmise that he was little more than her vehicle. The arrangement includes a distinctive horn section riff, which caused some listeners to mistake the band for Blood, Sweat & Tears, who were also popular at the time. Despite its great commercial success, Ides of March never had another hit single. Peterik, however, was no one trick pony. He went on to form the rock group Survivor and become a very successful songwriter.

I featured this song once before for Glyn Wilton’s Mixed Music Bag but it’s so kick-ass good, I had to bring it back.

This is “Vehicle” by Ides of March


LYRICS

Hey, well
I’m the friendly stranger in the black Sedan
Won’t you hop inside my car?
I got pictures, got candy
I’m a lovable man
And I can take you to the nearest star

I’m your vehicle, baby
I’ll take you anywhere you want to go
I’m your vehicle, woman
by now I’m sure you know

That I love ya (love ya)
I need ya (need ya)
I want ya
Got to have you, child
Great God in Heaven, you know I love you

Well, if you wants to be a movie star
I can-a take you to Hollywood
But if you want to stay just like you are
You know, I think you really should

I’m your vehicle, baby
I’ll take you anywhere you want to go
I’m your vehicle, woman
by now I’m sure you know

That I love ya (love ya)
I need ya (need ya)
I want ya
Got to have you, child
Great God in Heaven, you know I love you
Oh, you know I do

Well, I’m the friendly stranger in the black Sedan
Won’t you hop inside my car?
I got pictures, candy
I’m a lovable man
And I can take you to the nearest star

I’m your vehicle, babe
I’ll take you anywhere you want to go
I’m your vehicle, woman
by now I’m sure you know

That I love ya (love ya)
I need ya (need ya)
I want ya
I got to have you
Great God in Heaven, you know I love you

And I’m your vehicle, babe, alright
You know I love ya (love ya)
I need ya (need ya)
I want ya
Got to have you, child
Great God in Heaven, you know I love you

Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: James M. Peterik
Vehicle lyrics © Concord Music Publishing LLC

Driving with Music

Big thanks to Jim Adams for hosting another great Song Lyric Sunday this week and every week. Thanks also to Clive for suggesting today’s challenge. Be sure to follow the links and check out Jim and Clive’s site.

Thanks for stopping by for a look and a listen.

That’s all she wrote, kids. See you on the flip side. 😎

NAR©2025

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy Richy and are not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.

37 thoughts on “Get Your Motor Running”

  1. True story: My eldest daughter and my son both loved math, but my middle daughter hated it, which really annoyed her brother for some reason. When my youngest daughter was approaching school age, her big brother took it upon himself to ensure that the same calamity (disliking math) did not befall her. He gave her a very enthusiastic pep talk, telling her how great math was and how much she would love it, concluding his remarks by assuring her math was going to be “fun fun fun!” — and without a moment’s hesitation, his baby sister replied, “till her daddy takes the T-Bird away.”

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  3. By your title I thought for sure your song was going to be Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf. Beach Boys works for me. Such a fun and innocent song. Celestial harmonies. Don’t have time now to listen to second song. Maybe later. Good choice for the prompt, Nancy.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. I am so happy someone picked The Beach Boys today Nancy and your second pick, the Ides of March was such a treat. I hadn’t heard that one in a while and I’ve always loved it. Thank you for two great songs today. 🥰

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks so much, Christine! I am very surprised more people didn’t pick something from the Beach Boys; they have such a large catalog of car songs alone. There was a time period here in the states, early to mid-60s, when the airwaves were flooded with songs about surfing, surfer girls, and cars! I couldn’t resist dipping in. Delighted to know you enjoyed both songs today.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. Great choices Nancy. Jim Peterik was 17 years old, a junior in high school when the Turtles came to Riverside Brookfield High School.  He wanted to ask this girl in his homeroom class, but he was too shy.  He arrived early for the Turtles concert, and a bunch of cute girls started dancing next to him, however he thought were way out of his league.  One girl turned around and said, “Aren’t you Peterik?”, and she told him that she just saw his band last week.  They started talking till he noticed this other girl, who drew his attention away from all the others.  When the concert was over, he spotted the really cute girl again and he said, “Hey, do you want a ride home?”  She said, “Oh no.  My dad would never let me do that, but you can walk me home to my girlfriend’s house.”

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

      1. Her name was Karen and he walked her home, got her phone number, and told her that he would call her.  They started dating, and went to a play at the high school.  When they were walking back to her house, her mother said, “You get her home by 9 o’clock.  I’m a stickler on that.”  He was 15 minutes late, because she gave me the kiss of a lifetime.  He never had a kiss like that, and he felt like he was floating on gossamer wings.  They kept dating till she said, “You know, Jim, I’m 15 years old.  You’re the first boy I’ve ever dated.  I really need to see what else is out there.”  This broke his heart.  Jim had a souped-up 1964 Plymouth Valiant, and one day she called him asking for a ride to modeling school.  He drove her to modeling school every week, hoping flames would ignite, but they didn’t.  He came home dejected, realizing that all he was to her was a vehicle, but he liked her so much that he kept driving her around.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

  12. Both excellent choices, Nancy. Even though I knew the lyrics to Vehicle, I never thought about them as being predatory before seeing them all printed out- or maybe the paranoid world we live in has just made me soft- but coming from a girl who has hopped in her share of stranger’s cars and thought it was a superpower! hehehehe

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Jodi. I love these songs and you’re not wrong about the predatory aspect of Vehicle ….quite a leap from the innocent times of the Beach Boys and borrowing daddy’s car for a joyride with friends! When I think of all the crazy shit I did back then, I’m amazed that I’m still here today! Ya know?

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  13. I love this post Nancy classic Beach Boys what’s not to love about them! And your second song I had forgotten about completely, I didn’t even know it was by the Ides of March, and I really like it, so thanks 🤩

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. You’re comments made me very happy, Ange. When I approach challenges like the ones here on SLS, it’s my hope that my readers will be entertained, and if they learn something in the end, even better. If you’re humming Beach Boys tunes during the day, you can thank me for that! 😁

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Thanks very much, Clive. This was a really fun theme and broad enough that we could possibly visit it again.
      The Beach Boys have track after track about cars so going with them was a no brainer. I just chose my favorite song from their car catalog. Both songs have a great energy which I wanted to pass on to my readers. I’m delighted to know you enjoyed my picks today.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a reply to poetisatinta Cancel reply