Bruce Springsteen “Pink Cadillac” released as a B-side

Pink Cadillac Bruce Springsteen

Writer(s): Bruce Springsteen (see lyrics here) Released: May 3, 1984 First Charted: June 2, 1984 Peak: 27 AR, 1 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions as B-side of “Dancing in the Dark”): 2.0 US, 0.6 UK, 2.91 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 4.7 video, -- streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. 1984-1985 era may be the most dominant in the history of the album rock chart. Not only did nine of the album’s twelve cuts chart (seven of which reached the top 10), but three other songs from that era charted as well. The most successful was a live version of the song “Trapped,” a #1 album rock hit which was culled from the We Are the World compilation. The other two, “Pink Cadillac” and “Stand on It” were B-sides. “Pink Cadillac” came early in Springsteen’s chart domination, as it was the B-side to “Dancing in the Dark,” the first single from Born in the U.S.A. The song only reached #27 on the charts, but that was significant for a song that wasn’t even an album cut. It wouldn’t show up on a Springsteen album until 1998 when it appeared on Tracks, a box set of outtakes. Springsteen wrote the song in December 1981 under the title “Love Is a Dangerous Thing.” He first recorded an acoustic version of “Pink Cadillac,’ with more lighthearted lyrics, in January 1982 during sessions for the Nebraska album. He recorded it again in the spring of 1983 during sessions for Born in the U.S.A. He cut the basic track at the end of a session and completed it with the E Street Band the next morning. WK The idea of singing about a pink Cadillac came from Elvis Presley’s 1954 cover of “Baby Let’s Play House” in which the King sang “You may have a pink Cadillac” (a reference to his custom painted Cadillac that was his touring vehicle) instead of the original line “You may get religion.” WK Springsteen played on the automobile as a metaphor for sexual activity much like songs such as Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” and Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally.” The lyric “I love you for your pink Cadillac was supposedly a reference to a vagina. WK Ironically, the song became a top-10 single in 1988 when covered by a woman – Natalie Cole. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Bruce Springsteen SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 8/7/2022.