The Racy Story Behind “Pink Cadillac” by Bruce Springsteen and Why AOL Banned Its Lyrics

The Cadillac Automobile Co. started in 1902 as an offshoot of the Henry Ford Co. The founder of Detroit, Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac, was the inspiration for the name, and it was his family’s coat of arms depicted in their logo. It became the first volume manufacturer of a fully enclosed car, and the development and introduction of the V8, V12, and V16 engines helped make Cadillac the “Standard of the World.” In 1948, Cadillac introduced the tailfin, which became increasingly prominent through the 1950s. A symbol of wealth and accomplishment, the Cadillac became synonymous with success and luxury.

Bruce Springsteen wrote songs that resonated with the working class and about the people who strived to someday own a Cadillac. His socially conscious lyrics often paint stark pictures of the landscape of America and its people. For him to release a song about a pink Cadillac seems frivolous on the surface, but the lyrics raised objections in the new frontier of the internet. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Pink Cadillac” by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

Well, now you may think I’m foolish
For the foolish things I do
You may wonder how come I love you
When you get on my nerves like you do
Well, baby, you know you bug me
There ain’t no secret ’bout that
Well, come on over here and hug me
Baby, I’ll spill the facts
Well, honey, it ain’t your money
‘Cause baby, I got plenty of that

It Evolved from Another Song

Bruce Springsteen wrote “Love Is a Dangerous Thing” in December 1981, which included the line, Eve tempted Adam with an apple. He decided to make it the basis for a more lighthearted lyric inspired by Elvis Presley’s version of “Baby Let’s Play House,” where he sang about a pink Cadillac, his custom-painted touring vehicle.

Springsteen first recorded the song with just his acoustic guitar and echo-laden vocal during sessions for his album Nebraska. In the spring of 1983, he revisited “Pink Cadillac” while recording songs for Born in the U.S.A. Garry W. Tallent’s driving bass line and Max Weinberg’s relentless drumbeat brought the song to life after Springsteen laid down a basic guitar/vocal take. The wailing sax of Clarence Clemons adds to the “Peter Gunn” vibe of the track. Only those four musicians appeared on the final recording.

I love you for your pink Cadillac
Crushed velvet seats
Riding in the back
Cruising down the street
Waving to the girls
Feeling out of sight
Spending all my money
On a Saturday night
Honey, I just wonder what you do there in the back
Of your pink Cadillac
Pink Cadillac

Not Suitable For Work?

Just before Springsteen released Born in the U.S.A., “Pink Cadillac” was dropped from the album in favor of “I’m Goin’ Down.” It was released as the B-side of the album’s lead single, “Dancing in the Dark.” When the band performed the song in concert, Springsteen introduced it as being “about the conflict between worldly things and spiritual health, between desires of the flesh and spiritual ecstasy.” In 2001, America Online banned users from quoting the lyrics in a Springsteen discussion group because of their offensive nature. My love is bigger than a Honda, yeah it’s bigger than a Subaru was deemed too racy for the internet.

Well, now, way back in the Bible
Temptations always come along
There’s always somebody tempting
Somebody into doing something they know is wrong
Well, they tempt you, man, with silver
And they tempt you, sir, with gold
And they tempt you with the pleasures
That the flesh does surely hold
They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple
But man, I ain’t going for that

Other Versions

In 1983, Bette Midler began playing “Pink Cadillac” in her live shows and recorded it for her album No Frills. Springsteen blocked the release because it wasn’t a “girl’s song.” She replaced it on the album with her version of The Rolling Stones’ classic “Beast of Burden,” which reached the Top 10 in multiple countries. The following year, she released the longform video Art or Bust, which included the live version of “Pink Cadillac” as the opening number.

In 1987, Natalie Cole recorded the song at the suggestion of producer Dennis Lambert. In Angel On My Shoulder: An Autobiography by Natalie Cole with Digby Diehl, Cole said, “I thought to myself, ‘I’m too old to be doing this kind of stuff.’ I couldn’t imagine myself onstage rockin’ to the music like Tina Turner. But ‘Pink Cadillac’ turned out to be a big song, and it took us all over the place. With ‘Pink Cadillac,’ I started playing club dates where the gay crowd hung from the rafters—it was my Grace Jones kind of a vibe. The song became very big in Europe. It was wild, and it was a lot of fun. I was really very surprised. I never got a chance to talk to Bruce Springsteen, but word got back that he was blown away by it. He thought it was very cool that a woman could do this, and it would come out so great.”

Cole’s version peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Other artists who recorded “Pink Cadillac” include Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Brian Conley, Southern Pacific, Temple of Soul, Bobby Mackey, Grace Gaustad, and Graham Parker. Springsteen joined Melissa Etheridge onstage on October 2, 1996, in Milwaukee, and performed the song to close the show.

Now, some folks say it’s too big
And uses too much gas
Some folks say it’s too old
And that it goes too fast
But my love is bigger than a Honda
Yeah, it’s bigger than a Subaru
Hey man, there’s only one thing
And one car that will do
Anyway, we don’t have to drive it
Honey, we can park it out in the back

Mistaken Identity

Aretha Franklin had a hit in 1985 with “Freeway of Love,” where she sings about going riding on the freeway of love in my pink Cadillac, causing people to mistakenly remember her as having a hit with Springsteen’s song.

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