"Pink Cadillac" is a song by

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

released as the non-album B-side of " Dancing in the Dark" in 1984. The song received much airplay worldwide and appeared on the ''Billboard'' Top Tracks chart for 14 weeks, peaking at No. 27. The song was also a prominent concert number during Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. Tour.

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

loved the song and recorded it for her 1983 ''

No Frills A no-frills or no frills service or product is one for which the non-essential features have been removed to keep the price low. The term "Ruffle (sewing), frills" originally refers to a style of fabric decoration. Something offered to customers f ...

'' album. But after it had been recorded, Springsteen legally stopped the release. "Pink Cadillac" had its highest-profile incarnation via an R&B interpretation by

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

, which became a top-ten single in 1988.

Bruce Springsteen version

Background

Springsteen originally wrote "Pink Cadillac" as "Love Is a Dangerous Thing" in December 1981; this version was lyrically distinct from the eventual "Pink Cadillac" except for the line "Eve tempted Adam with an apple", which Springsteen decided to make the basis for a more lighthearted lyric. The first lyrics Springsteen wrote for "Pink Cadillac" were: "They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple but man I ain't going for that/ I know it was her pink Cadillac". The auto imagery was inspired by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

's 1954 rendition of "

Baby Let's Play House "Baby Let's Play House" is a song written and originally recorded by Arthur Gunter in 1954 on the Excello Records label, and covered by Elvis Presley the following year on Sun Records. A line from the song ("I'd rather see you dead, little girl, ...

" in which Presley replaced the original lyric: "You may get religion" with: "You may have a pink Cadillac", a reference to the custom painted Cadillac that was then Presley's touring vehicle.

Recording

First recorded by Springsteen in an acoustic version in early January 1982 in the session whose tracks would comprise the ''

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

'' album, "Pink Cadillac" was not formally recorded by Springsteen until the sessions for his '' Born in the U.S.A.'' album, in the spring of 1983. At the end of one session, when most of the crew had left the studio, Springsteen impulsively cut a basic track of him singing "Pink Cadillac" to his guitar accompaniment; this track was completed with the

E Street Band The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recordin ...

the following morning. Although not included on the completed ''Born in the U.S.A.'' album, being bumped from the track list that April in favor of " I'm Goin' Down", "Pink Cadillac" was released in 1984 as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of the album's lead single, " Dancing in the Dark". The track would appear as one of two songs (along with " Cover Me") on a CD3 released in 1988, but was not included on any Springsteen album until '' Tracks'' in 1998, and '' 18 Tracks'' in 1999, both these titles being anthologies of Springsteen's outtakes-and-B-sides. Springsteen's version of "Pink Cadillac" is often compared to the ''

Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American detective fiction, private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens (actor), Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from Sept ...

'' theme by

Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Awards, ...

, which it resembles in its main riff and saxophone break. In 2006, Springsteen appeared on a recording of "Pink Cadillac" by

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

on his album '' Last Man Standing''.

In concert

Performing the song live, Springsteen explained the song as being "about the conflict between worldly things and spiritual health, between desires of the flesh and spiritual ecstasy," in a long tongue-in-cheek spoken introduction.

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon: *

– vocals, guitar *

Clarence Clemons Clarence Anicholas Clemons Jr. (January 11, 1942 – June 18, 2011), also known as The Big Man, was an American saxophonist. From 1972 until his death in 2011, he was the saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. Clemons rel ...

– saxophone *

Garry Tallent Garry Wayne Tallent (born October 27, 1949), sometimes billed as Garry W. Tallent, is an American musician and record producer, best known for being the bass player and a founding member of the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen's primary backing ...

– bass *

Max Weinberg Max Weinberg (born April 13, 1951) is an American drummer and television personality, most widely known as the longtime drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and as the bandleader for Conan O'Brien on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' an ...

– drums

Natalie Cole version

In mid-1987, American singer-songwriter and actress

recorded "Pink Cadillac" at the suggestion of producer Dennis Lambert; Cole recalls: "I thought to myself, 'I'm too old to be doing this kind of stuff', but then I'd never worked with anyone quite like Dennis before. He was very passionate about his work ndhis enthusiasm gave me the confidence that I could pull

he song He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...

off." The track was intended for an album release on the Modern label; that project was canceled and Cole's "Pink Cadillac" and another Lambert production: "I Live For Your Love", were picked up by EMI-Manhattan Records to appear on Cole's 1987 album ''Everlasting''. "Pink Cadillac" was released as that album's third single in March 1988. In May 1988, the song reached number five on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and ''Cashbox'' Top 100, matching Cole's previous best with " I've Got Love on My Mind" and becoming her first top ten hit since 1978. "Pink Cadillac" also reached number nine on the R&B chart, number 16 on the A/C chart and, via a remix by David Cole (no relation) and Robert Clivilles, number one on ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Play chart. It became her first top ten hit in the United Kingdom by reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart, her first top forty hit there since 1977. According to Cole, "word got back" to her that Springsteen "thought it was very cool that a woman could ing "Pink Cadillac"and it would come out so great". (Springsteen had vetoed a 1983 release of

's version of the song as gender-inappropriate.)

Critical reception

Tony Reed from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' wrote, "Natalie struts her sassy stuff across a brass arrangement so punchy it runs Two Ton Tony Tubbs a close second, it's got a bottom end that should have the Wayne and Debbie clubs quaking, and an aesthetic mistake of a synth solo which, in kindness, we'll overlook. Think

The Pointer Sisters The Pointer Sisters are an American female vocal group from Oakland, California, who achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. They have had a repertoire with many genres, they have sold around 50 million records throughout their ...

circa "

Neutron Dance "Neutron Dance" is a song written by Allee Willis and Danny Sembello which was introduced by the Pointer Sisters on their 1983 album '' Break Out''. The song became a Top Ten hit in 1985, its success augmented by being prominently featured on th ...

", and you'll be on the right lines; a totally ''professional'' record her dad would be proud of, perfect

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

fodder, drive time music."

Music video

The music video for "Pink Cadillac" was directed by Maurice Phillips.

Personnel

Album version

Per the ''Everlasting'' album liner notes: *

- lead vocals, all backing vocals *

Paul Jackson Jr. Paul Milton Jackson Jr. (born December 30, 1959) is an American Jazz fusion, fusion/urban jazz composer, arranger, producer and guitarist. In addition to being a recording artist in his own right, Jackson is also a session player, with a career ...

- guitar *Claude Gaudette - keyboards *

Neil Stubenhaus Neil Stubenhaus is an American bass guitarist. Career He started his musical training playing drums and switched to bass guitar at the age of 12. In one of his early bands, The Neighbourhood in 1969, he played with future Kiss guitarist Vinnie V ...

- bass *

Mike Baird Michael Bruce Baird (born 1 April 1968) is an Australian investment banker and former politician who was the 44th Premier of New South Wales, the Minister for Infrastructure, the Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney, Mini ...

- drums

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Jerry Lee Lewis version

covered the song on his 2006 album '' Last Man Standing'' with additional vocals by Springsteen himself. The single was released in 2006 on

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

stations in the United States. The animated music video premiered on CMT in November 2006.

Other versions

added "Pink Cadillac" to the set list for her 1982-83 De Tour tour and recorded the song for inclusion on her 1983 ''

'' album; however, Springsteen blocked the release of Midler's version on the grounds that "Pink Cadillac" was not a "girl's song". According to the Midler biography ''Still Divine'' by Mark Bego, Midler was severely disappointed by Springsteen's veto, which forced her to record a new track (" Beast of Burden") for ''No Frills'' at considerable expense. Midler's August 1984 video release ''Art or Bust'' video - comprising footage from the two De Tour concerts at the University of Minnesota - included "Pink Cadillac" as the opening number.''The Press-Courier'', 15 August 1984.

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

is sometimes mis-credited as a singer of "Pink Cadillac" as the imagery occurs in her 1985 comeback hit " Freeway of Love" with the same metaphoric sense as in the Springsteen original, the lyric being: "We're going riding on the freeway of love in my pink Cadillac". "Pink Cadillac" has long been a staple of

Melissa Etheridge Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her Melissa Etheridge (album), eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the Billbo ...

's live repertoire; at a 2 October 1996

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

concert by Etheridge, Springsteen joined her onstage to close the show with a duet of "Pink Cadillac". Etheridge has never recorded "Pink Cadillac", although her live performance is widely available as a

bootleg recording A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. Making and distributing such recordings is known as ''bootlegging''. Recordings may be copied and traded ...

Carl Perkins Carl Lee Perkins (April 9, 1932 – January 19, 1998)#nytimesobit, Pareles. was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rockabilly great and pioneer of rock and roll, he began his recording career at the Sun Studio, in Memphis, Tennes ...

recorded a version of "Pink Cadillac" on his 1992 album ''Friends, Family & Legends''.

Southern Pacific The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was operated by various companies under the names ...

released a version on their 1986 album, ''Killbilly Hill''.

Brian Conley Brian Paul Conley (born 7 August 1961) is an English actor, comedian, singer and television presenter. Conley has been the host of '' The Brian Conley Show'', as well as presenting the Royal Variety Performance on eight occasions. In his 40+ ...

recorded "Pink Cadillac" for his 1993 ''Brian Conley Sings'' album. The 2003 album ''Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen'' includes a rendition of "Pink Cadillac" by Graham Parker. It appeared on the 2004 album '' Live in Asbury Park, Vol. 2'' by

and Temple of Soul. Bobby Mackey released it as a single in 2011. Grace Gaustad released
cover
in February of 2022.

Bruce Springsteen version

Background

Recording

In concert

Personnel

Natalie Cole version

Critical reception

Music video

Personnel

Album version

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Jerry Lee Lewis version

Other versions

References

Further reading