"Crown Victoria Custom '51" is a song co-written by

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...

and released as a B side single by Lewis in the U.S. in 1995 on

Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehre ...

. The song was from the '' Young Blood'' album released that same year.

Background

"Crown Victoria Custom '51" was recorded for

in the U.S. and was released as a 7" 45 B side single backed with "Goosebumps" in 1995 as 7-64423. The recording was produced by Andy Paley. The music and lyrics were written by Jerry Lee Lewis,

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...

Andy Paley Andrew Douglas Paley (born November 2, 1952) is an American songwriter, record producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist who formed the Paley Brothers, a 1970s power pop duo, with his brother Jonathan Paley. Following their disbandment, And ...

, and

Kenny Lovelace Kenneth Lovelace (born August 18, 1936) is an American guitarist and singer best known for his former tenure with Jerry Lee Lewis. Life Lovelace was born in Cloverdale, Alabama. He grew up in a small village 12 miles from Florence, where his fam ...

. The song was published by Twilite Tunes, Warner Chappell, DeCapo Music Inc., James Burton Music, and Ken Lovelace Music. The song originally appeared on the '' Young Blood'' album. The recording was included on the 2006 3 disc career retrospective ''Half a Century of Hits'' as part of the Legends of American Music series by Time-Life Music. The theme of the song is a 1951 Ford Victoria V8 coupe, a model based on the

1949 Ford The 1949 Ford is a line of cars produced by Ford from the 1949 to 1951 model years. The successor to the prewar 1941 Ford, the model line was the first full-size Ford designed after World War II, becoming the first Ford car line released after t ...

. The Victoria hardtop had a "dual-bullet" grille and heavy chrome bumpers. A new "turn-key" ignition and front suspension featuring independent coil springs were also added. The head room was 36.1 inches. It was a new, post-war streamlined car model which could be customized into a hot rod. The

Ford Crown Victoria The Ford Crown Victoria ("Crown Vic") is a full-size sedan that was marketed and manufactured by Ford. The successor to the Ford LTD Crown Victoria, two generations of the model line were produced from the 1992 to 2012 model years. The Fo ...

model was produced in 1955. The opening and closing verse emphasizes the continuing popularity of the 1951 model: "Born in Detroit City back in '51 / She still looks pretty and she's loads of fun / Through thick and thin she's been my only one / It's my Crown Victoria Custom '51". Jerry Lee Lewis performs a piano solo followed by an electric guitar solo by James Burton. The recording is featured in the 1999 film ''A Texas Funeral'' starring

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

and

Robert Patrick Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and honorable authority figures, he is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations. Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparke ...

. The song was favorably reviewed in ''Rolling Stone'': "Whether reclaiming Hank Williams' wry 'I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive' or bragging about his hot rod — or is it his woman? — on 'Crown Victoria Custom '51,' Lewis is in high gear. He revels in the signatures of his fine madness, tossing random glissandi from his piano and shouting lyrics in a voice scuffed yet steel tipped."

Album appearances

"Crown Victoria Custom '51" appeared on the following albums: * '' Young Blood'', Jerry Lee Lewis, Sire Records, 1995 * ''Grooves'',''Grooves'' series, Various, Volume Ten, Time-Life. Discogs. com.
/ref> Volume Ten, Various Artists, Time-Life Music/BMG, 1996 * ''Legends of American Music. Half a Century of Hits'', Jerry Lee Lewis, Time-Life Music, 2006

Sources

*Bonomo, Joe (2009). ''Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found''. New York: Continuum Books. *Tosches, Nick (1982). ''Hellfire''. New York: Grove Press. *Gutterman, Jimmy (1991). ''Rockin' My Life Away: Listening to Jerry Lee Lewis''. Nashville: Rutledge Hill Press. *Gutterman, Jimmy (1993). ''The Jerry Lee Lewis Anthology: All Killer, No Filler''. Rhino Records. *Lewis, Myra; Silver, Murray (1981). ''Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis''. William Morrow/Quill/St. Martin's Press. *''Legends of American Music. Half a Century of Hits.'' Jerry Lee Lewis. Time-Life Music. 2006.

References

{{authority control 1995 songs Jerry Lee Lewis songs Rock-and-roll songs 1995 singles Songs written by Andy Paley Songs written by Jerry Lee Lewis