"The Car" is a song written by Gary Heyde and C. Michael Spriggs, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist

Jeff Carson Jeffrey Lee Herndon (December 16, 1963 – March 26, 2022), known professionally as Jeff Carson, was an American country music artist. Originally a session musician in Branson, Missouri, and later a demo singer, he was signed to Curb Records in ...

. It was released in October 1995 as the third single from his debut album ''

''. The song reached number three on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Hot Country Singles & Tracks Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart in December 1995.

Content

The song is a ballad about a relationship between the narrator and his father. In the first verse, the narrator expresses desire for a

Ford Mustang The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best selli ...

, but cannot get one due to his father being busy with work. The son nonetheless wants the car because it will offer "a chance to be with him". In the second verse, the narrator says that he has let go of his dream of having a Mustang until he gets word that his father has died. He also finds that the father has left a note for him along with a set of keys for a Mustang. In the final chorus, the narrator states that "there will always be a part of us together in that car".

Critical reception

A review in ''

'' was positive, praising Carson's "warm, affecting voice" while calling it "one of the most powerfully moving songs released this year."

Chart performance

"The Car" debuted at number 64 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of October 7, 1995.

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Car, The 1995 singles 1995 songs Jeff Carson songs Music videos directed by Michael Salomon Curb Records singles Songs written by Austin Gary Songs about cars