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Cadillac Ranch (Bruce Springsteen song)

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Not to be confused with Cadillac Ranch (Chris LeDoux song).
"Cadillac Ranch"
UK cover
Single by Bruce Springsteen
from the album The River
B-side
ReleasedAugust 1981[1]
RecordedApril–June 1980
GenreRock, rockabilly, country rock, heartland rock
Length3:03
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Bruce Springsteen
Producer(s)Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau, Steve Van Zandt
Bruce Springsteen singles chronology
"The River"
(1981) 		"Cadillac Ranch"
(1981) 		"Point Blank"
(1981)
Music video
"Cadillac Ranch" on YouTube

"Cadillac Ranch" is a song written by Bruce Springsteen that 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 and by "Wreck on the Highway" in the UK.[2] Although it was not released as a single in the US, it did reach #48 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[3] A favorite in concert, a live version was included on Live/1975–85.[4][5] A version was also included on the documentary film Blood Brothers.[6]

Music and lyrics

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"Cadillac Ranch" is an exuberant, playful rocker with rockabilly influences.[7][8][9][10] According to music critic Dave Marsh, it "made dinosaurs dance."[11] It is highlighted by Clarence Clemons' saxophone solo.[5] Author June Skinner Sawyers called the song "pure rowdy fun" and listed it as one of Springsteen's ten funniest songs.[12] John Cruz of Sputnik Music called the song "just plain fun," noting its infectious beat.[13] However, the theme of the song is "the transitoriness of all existence" and the inevitability of death.[8][13][14] Marsh called the song "one of the smartest songs ever about the inevitability of death".[14] Marsh further noted that although the protagonist of "Cadillac Ranch" seems similar to the protagonists of earlier Springsteen records, in this song he appears naive and vulnerable rather than bold and innocent.[9]

The song's title comes from Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.[5][8] Cadillac Ranch is a sculpture showing ten Cadillac automobiles with their hoods buried in the ground.[5] Springsteen used Cadillac Ranch as a metaphor for his theme; that these once elite cars are now expendable.[8]

Burt Reynolds, Junior Johnson, and James Dean are namechecked in the song.[5][8][15]

Personnel

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According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon:[16]

Covers

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Warren Zevon covered "Cadillac Ranch" during his 1982 tour and the song was featured in an MTV broadcast from the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey on October 1, 1982.[17]

Status Quo originally recorded the song for their 1983 album Back to Back, but the song was cut and was later released on the 1999 album Back to the Beginning.[18]

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band covered the song on their 1984 album Plain Dirt Fashion as well as the 1991 live album Live Two Five.[19][20]

In 1986, Savoy Records (in the UK), released a 12" single, by Lord Horror, which was a cover of Blue Monday (by New Order), but with its lyrics replaced by the lyrics to "Cadillac Ranch" instead. The single didn't chart though, mainly because it wasn't stocked in many record shops, due to its controversial artwork.[21] The track is also available on a Savoy Records compilation album, Savoy Wars, which was released in 1994.

Rick Trevino's version appears on the compilation albums NASCAR: Runnin' Wide Open (1995)[22] and Highway Fever: All Time Greatest Country Road Songs (2006).[23][24]

Daniel Johnston's song "Funeral Home" takes its melody from "Cadillac Ranch".[25]

In 2023, country music artist Brett Kissel released a cover of "Cadillac Ranch" on his album The Compass Project - South Album.[26]

Charts

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Chart (1981) Peak
position
UK Singles Top 100 (Record Business)[27] 70

References

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  1. ^ "Great Rock Discography". p. 773.
  2. ^ "Bruce Springsteen: Cadillac Ranch". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  3. ^ "Bruce Springsteen Charts & Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  4. ^ Ruhlmann, W. "Live/1975–85". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  5. ^ a b c d e Humphries, P. (1996). The Complete Guide to the Music of Bruce Springsteen. Omnibus Press. p. 30. ISBN 0-7119-5304-X.
  6. ^ Seibert, P. "Blood Brothers". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  7. ^ Kirkpatrick, R. (2007). The Words and Music of Bruce Springsteen. Praeger. pp. 74–75. ISBN 978-0-275-98938-5.
  8. ^ a b c d e Symynkywicz, J.B. (2008). The Gospel According to Bruce Springsteen. Westminster John Knox Press. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-0-664-23169-9.
  9. ^ a b Marsh, D. (1981). Born to Run. Dell. pp. 255–256. ISBN 0-440-10694-X.
  10. ^ Marsh, D. (2004). Bruce Springsteen: two hearts : the definitive biography, 1972-2003. Psychology Press. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-415-96928-4.
  11. ^ Marsh, D. (1996). Glory Days. Thunder's Mouth Press. pp. 85, 277. ISBN 1-56025-101-8.
  12. ^ Sawyers, J.S. (2006). Tougher Than the Rest. Omnibus Press. pp. 248, 256. ISBN 0825634709.
  13. ^ a b Cruz, J. "Bruce Springsteen: The River". Sputnik Music. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  14. ^ a b Marsh, D. (2006). Bruce Springsteen on tour, 1968-2005. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 978-1-59691-282-3.
  15. ^ Springsteen, B. "Cadillac Ranch". brucespringsteen.net. Archived from the original on 2011-10-25. Retrieved 2011-10-30.
  16. ^ Margotin, Philippe; Guesdon, Jean-Michel (2020). Bruce Springsteen All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 170. ISBN 978-1-78472-649-2.
  17. ^ "Warren Zevon - Live in Passaic NJ, 1982 (The Full Concert)". YouTube. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  18. ^ "Cadillac Ranch (from the album Back to Back)". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  19. ^ Worbois, J. "Plain Dirt Fashion". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  20. ^ Fink, M. "Live Two Five". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  21. ^ "Savoy Records: Blue Monday". Savoy.abel.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  22. ^ "Nascar: Runnin Wide Open". Amazon. 1995. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  23. ^ "Highway Fever: All-Time Greatest Country Road Songs". Amazon. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  24. ^ "Cadillac Ranch: Rick Trevino". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-11-01.
  25. ^ "'Devil's' details make musician documentary a worthy DVD". chicagotribune.com. 19 September 2006. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  26. ^ Hollabaugh, Lorie (January 10, 2023). "Brett Kissel To Release Four-Part 'The Compass Project'". Music Row Magazine. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  27. ^ "Singles Top 100". Record Business. Vol. 4, no. 27. September 21, 1981. p. 7. ISSN 0144-0691.
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