Clash – Brand New Cadillac

This was a great cover by The Clash. It was on the London Calling album released in 1979. They started off as a punk band but The Clash, unlike some other Punk bands, could really play and sing well…, especially Mick Jones. He was probably the best pure musician in the band.

The song was originally by Vince Taylor and released in 1959. It was the B side to a song called Pledging My Love. Taylor wrote the song but Tony Sheridan is credited with the cool guitar riff running through the song. The song’s riff reminds me of the original Batman riff…or really the other way around.

The Clash’s version of the song is the best-known. They did it in one take. It was the B side to the single London Calling. The single peaked at #46 in the UK in 1988 re-release. It also peaked at #64 with another UK re-release in 1991.

Rolling Stone magazine named London Calling the best album of the ’80s. It should be noted that it was first released in the UK in December 1979. In the US, it was released two weeks into January 1980, meaning that from a US perspective, it’s a 1980s album.

I like Vince’s version just as well… a good rock song through and through.

Brand New Cadillac

DriveDrive

My baby drove up in a brand new CadillacYes, she didMy baby drove up in a brand new CadillacShe said, “Hey, come here, daddy”I ain’t never comin’ back

Baby, baby, won’t you hear my plea?Yeah, come on, sugar, just come on back to meShe said, “Balls to you, big daddy”

Baby, baby, won’t you hear my plea?Oh, oh, come on, just hear my pleaShe said, “Balls to you, daddy”She ain’t comin’ back to me

Oh GodBaby, baby, drove up in a CadillacI said, “Jesus Christ, where’d you get that Cadillac?”She said, “Balls to you, daddy”She ain’t never comin’ backShe ain’t, she ain’t comin’ backShe ain’t never comin’ backShe ain’t never comin’ backShe ain’t never comin’ back

…

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

38 thoughts on “Clash – Brand New Cadillac”

  2. Good track. I need to add more Clash to my collection but you never really see there stuff used. Combat Rock I grabbed used about 5 years ago but thats about it.

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      1. Especially when everyone is us. Im not crazy about music labels ( A CB rub) I guess it helps people to market and target, I dont know. What I do know is this so called punk band knows how to rock n roll.

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      2. I agree totally…I was shocked as well….and it wasn’t released at the time but after.

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  7. I found the original vastly superior. The live Clash version sounded like he forgot all the lyrics and like they’d taken too much speed before the show. The album version wasn’t bad.

    You could do a whole post of Cadillac songs. A local hit here around 1970 was “Black Cadillac” but that was about the drug (speaking of taking too much speed), not the car.

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    1. There is another Black Cadillac that I’m including on the next Car songs….my favorite. A very rare one.
      Yea the original here I may like more also.

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      1. The Renegades were a British garage rock band, well known in Finland for their cover of “Brand New Cadillac” (1964) and the monster garage hit “Thirteen Women” from 1966. You can hear the Renegades always in films by Aki Kaurismäki.

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