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Car Song (Elastica song)

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"Car Song"
Single by Elastica
from the album Elastica
ReleasedJanuary 1996
Recorded1994
GenreBritpop, alternative rock
Length2:25
LabelGeffen Records
Songwriter(s)Justine Frischmann, Elastica
Producer(s)Elastica
Elastica singles chronology
"Waking Up"
(1995)
"Car Song"
(1996)
"How He Wrote Elastica Man"
(1999)

"Car Song" is a song by the Britpop group Elastica. It was originally released in 1995 on the band's self-titled debut album. It was released as a single in North America and Australia in January 1996 but was never issued in the UK.

The song received positive reviews from critics. It peaked at #33 on the US Alternative Songs chart and at #14 on the Canadian alternative chart.

Background

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"Car Song" was written by Elastica's lead singer, Justine Frischmann. The song is about having sex in a car.[1][2]

Release

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"Car Song" was first released on Elastica's self-titled debut album on 14 March 1995.[1] Its five-track CD single was released in 1996 by Geffen Records.[3] Another version of the song, titled "Four Wheeling", was included on Elastica's compilation album, Elastica Radio One Sessions.[4]

Critical reception

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"Car Song" received generally positive reviews from music critics. According to Stephen Thomas Erlewine, the song "makes sex in a car actually sound sexy".[1] Entertainment Weekly's Chuck Eddy wrote that "Justine Frischmann's awkward sex-in-a-Ford-Fiesta forwardness ("Car Song") can charm your pants off."[5]

Chart performance

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In the US, the single spent three weeks on the Alternative Songs chart and peaked at #33 on 23 December 1995.[6] It also spent nine weeks on the Canadian alternative chart, peaking at #14 there.[7]

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"Car Song" was included on an episode of Gilmore Girls in addition to appearing on the show's soundtrack Our Little Corner of the World: Music from Gilmore Girls.[8] The song was also featured in TV show Hindsight.

Music video

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The song's music video, directed by Spike Jonze, has been described as a "futuristic thriller combining elements of Blade Runner and Japanese monster films".[9]

Track list

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CD single[3]

  1. "Car Song" [LP Version]
  2. "Car Song" (Live)
  3. "Bar Bar Bar" (Demo)
  4. "Jam" [II] (Live)
  5. "Gloria" (Live)

Charts

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Chart Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[10] 106
Canadian Alternative Rock[7] 14
US Alternative Songs[6] 33

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Elastica - Elastica". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  2. ^ Pareles, Jon. "IN PERFORMANCE; POP". The New York Times, 4 March 1995. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Car Song - Elastica". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  4. ^ Beets, Greg. "Elastica - Music Review". austinchronicle.com, 15 August 2003. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  5. ^ Eddy, Chuck. "Elastica Review". ew.com, 7 April 1995. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Car Song - Elastica". billboard.com. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Results - RPM" Archived 23 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine. collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
  8. ^ Hay, Carla. "Sound Tracks" Billboard, 28 September 2002, p. 14.
  9. ^ Beebe, Roger and Middleton, Jason. Medium Cool: Music Videos from Soundies to Cellphones (Duke University Press, 2007), p. 308.
  10. ^ "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received 5 June 2015". Imgur. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2015.
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