This day in music history.
June 3, 1972, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen have their biggest hit when their version of "Hot Rod Lincoln" makes it to number 9. The song was originally written by Charlie Ryan and W.S. Stevenson in 1955.
Hot Rod Lincoln
My pappy said, 'Son, you're gonna drive me t' drinkin'
If you don't quit drivin' that
Hot Rod Lincoln!'
Well, you've heard the story of the hot rod race,
When the Ford and the Mercury were settin' the pace.
That story's true I'm here to say,
Cause I was a'drivin' that Model A.
It's got a Lincoln motor and it's really souped up
That Model A body makes it look like a pup.
It's got 8 cylinders and uses them all
And an overdrive that just won't stall.
It's got a 4-barrel carb and dual exhausts
4:11 gears that really get lost
Safety tubes and I'm not scared,
The brakes are good and the tires are fair.
We left San Pedro late one night
The moon and the stars were shinin' bright.
We were drivin' up Grapevine Hill,
Passin' cars like they were standin' still.
Then, all of a sudden, in the wink of an eye,
a Cadillac sedan passed us by.
The remark was made, "That's the car for me."
But, by then, the taillights wuz all you could see.
Well, the fellers ribbed me for bein' behind,
So I started to make that Lincoln unwind.
Took my foot off the gas and, man alive,
I shoved it down into overdrive.
Well, I wound it up to 110
Twisted the speedometer cable right off the end.
Had my foot glued right to the floor
I said, "That's all there is - there ain't no more."
Now the fellas thought I'd lost all sense
The telephone poles looked like a picket fence.
They said, "Slow down, I see spots."
The lines on the road just looked like dots.
Went around a corner and passed a truck
I crossed my fingers just for luck
The fenders clickin' the guard rail post
The guy beside me was white as a ghost.
Smoke was rollin' outta the back
When I started to gain on that Cadillac
I knew I could catch him and hoped I could pass
But when I did I'd be short on gas.
There were flames comin' from out of the side
You could feel the tension; man, what a ride.
I said, "Look out, boys, I've got a license to fly"
And the Cadillac pulled over and let me by.
All of a sudden a rod started knockin'
Down in the depths she started a rockin'.
I looked in the mirror and a red light was blinkin'
The cops was after my Hot Rod Lincoln.
Well they arrested me and put me in jail.
I called my pop to make my bail.
He said, "Son, you're gonna drive me t' drinkin',
If you don't quit drivin' that
Hot ... Rod ... Lincoln!"
Hot Rod Lincoln
My pappy said, 'Son, you're gonna drive me t' drinkin'
If you don't quit drivin' that
Hot Rod Lincoln!'
Well, you've heard the story of the hot rod race,
When the Ford and the Mercury were settin' the pace.
That story's true I'm here to say,
Cause I was a'drivin' that Model A.
It's got a Lincoln motor and it's really souped up
That Model A body makes it look like a pup.
It's got 8 cylinders and uses them all
And an overdrive that just won't stall.
It's got a 4-barrel carb and dual exhausts
4:11 gears that really get lost
Safety tubes and I'm not scared,
The brakes are good and the tires are fair.
We left San Pedro late one night
The moon and the stars were shinin' bright.
We were drivin' up Grapevine Hill,
Passin' cars like they were standin' still.
Then, all of a sudden, in the wink of an eye,
a Cadillac sedan passed us by.
The remark was made, "That's the car for me."
But, by then, the taillights wuz all you could see.
Well, the fellers ribbed me for bein' behind,
So I started to make that Lincoln unwind.
Took my foot off the gas and, man alive,
I shoved it down into overdrive.
Well, I wound it up to 110
Twisted the speedometer cable right off the end.
Had my foot glued right to the floor
I said, "That's all there is - there ain't no more."
Now the fellas thought I'd lost all sense
The telephone poles looked like a picket fence.
They said, "Slow down, I see spots."
The lines on the road just looked like dots.
Went around a corner and passed a truck
I crossed my fingers just for luck
The fenders clickin' the guard rail post
The guy beside me was white as a ghost.
Smoke was rollin' outta the back
When I started to gain on that Cadillac
I knew I could catch him and hoped I could pass
But when I did I'd be short on gas.
There were flames comin' from out of the side
You could feel the tension; man, what a ride.
I said, "Look out, boys, I've got a license to fly"
And the Cadillac pulled over and let me by.
All of a sudden a rod started knockin'
Down in the depths she started a rockin'.
I looked in the mirror and a red light was blinkin'
The cops was after my Hot Rod Lincoln.
Well they arrested me and put me in jail.
I called my pop to make my bail.
He said, "Son, you're gonna drive me t' drinkin',
If you don't quit drivin' that
Hot ... Rod ... Lincoln!"
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