"Rusty Chevrolet" is a song by American novelty music band

Da Yoopers Da Yoopers are an American comedy and novelty musical group from Ishpeming, Michigan, United States. They are known primarily for their comedic songs and skits, most of which center on life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The band's name inclu ...

. The song was released in 1986 and can be found on the band's second album ''Culture Shock''. It is a novelty Christmas song set to the melody of "

Jingle Bells "Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and most commonly sung American songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont (1822–1893) and published under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in September 1857. It has been claimed t ...

History

Da Yoopers released "Rusty Chevrolet" in late 1986 following their first album ''Yoopanese''. Band members Jim DeCaire and Joe Potila wrote and produced the song. It was issued as a single with "Smeltin' USA" on the B-side, and later appeared on the band's second album ''Culture Shock''. At the time of its release, the band sold copies of the single for two dollars, with half of that amount being donated to the local

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its ...

. After its release, the song became popular on stations in the

Upper Peninsula of Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by ...

and in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, with WIFC of

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, an ...

alone ordering over 200 copies due to listener demand. The band later used profits from the song to build their own recording studio in their hometown of

Ishpeming, Michigan Ishpeming ( ) is a city in Marquette County in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,470 at the 2010 census, less than it was in the 1950s and 1960s when the iron ore mines employed more workers. A statue of a ...

. "Rusty Chevrolet" is about a man's struggles with his old

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ou ...

car, and its lyrics are set to the melody of the Christmas song "

References

{{Reflist 1986 songs American Christmas songs Songs about cars Songs about Michigan Novelty songs Musical parodies