Amanda literally grew up singing in the family band and realized at the tender age of six that music made people happy. "That's when I knew what I wanted to do with my life."
Her life, so far, includes, relocating with her family to Nashville in 1997 and an ensuing appearance by The Wilkinsons at a Nashville nightclub that led to competitive bidding by seven top record labels to immediately sign the fledgling act. Also charting "26 Cents" as a top single from their first album and touring extensively, appearing on stage and television and garnering a loyal and devoted legion of fans in the process.
With The Wilkinsons, Amanda gathered an impressive collection of accolades from recording industry associations. The Juno Awards, The Canadian Country Music Awards, The Country Music Association, The Academy of Country Music and The Grammy Awards immediately, and have repeatedly, recognized the talent of Amanda and The Wilkinsons.
Amanda’s debut solo album, Amanda Wilkinson was nominated for Country Recording of the Year at the 2006 Juno Awards.
Pontiacs
Amanda Wilkinson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every sunset was a watercolor
Had the promise of a perfect summer
Blue eyed boy with a red TransAm
We spent hours on his hood just laughing
In between the moonlight dancing
It was way too short but oh so sweet
That's why I hate Pontiac's
Black vinyl seats and Crackerjacks
With plastic rings they play it back
That goodbye scene on a warm September night
That's why I hate river roads with the windows down
And Tupelo, oh I hate that town
'Cause all I know, that's where he was bound
And he never did come back, that's why I hate Pontiac's
I filed away my wounded pride
I found someone and loved again
Never take a trip to way back when
Till the radio plays a certain song
And it's like a finger on the trigger
Some old hurts they just hurt bigger
Might have gotten past it long ago
But parts of yesterday
They get tattooed on your soul
That's why I hate Pontiac's
Black vinyl seats and Crackerjacks
With plastic rings they play it back
That goodbye scene on a warm September night
That's why I hate river roads with the windows down
And Tupelo, oh I hate that town
'Cause all I know, that's where he was bound
And he never did come back
That's why I hate Pontiac's
Black vinyl seats we were maniacs
So wild and free, till he took it back
That he loved me and he drove off like the wind
That's why I hate Scorpios you can't tie 'em down
And Tupelo, oh I hate that town
'Cause all I know, that's where he was bound
And he never did come back, that's why I hate Pontiac's
That's why I hate Pontiac's
In Amanda Wilkinson's song "Pontiacs," the singer takes us on a nostalgic journey back to a summer love story that did not have a happy ending. Starting with the wisteria vines climbing and the promise of a perfect summer, the lyrics convey the idyllic nature of a summer of love that we all have dreamed of at some point in our lives. The blue-eyed boy with the red TransAm and the hours spent on the hood laughing is a quintessential image of summer love where everything seems perfect. But like all good things, summer ends, and the summer love ends with it. The singer's pain and bitterness come through as she declares her hatred for Pontiac's, river roads, and Tupelo, the place where he was bound and never returned.
The song is a beautiful portrayal of how certain memories and relationships can become intertwined and inseparable from one's identity. Even though the singer has moved on and found love again, some old pains refuse to die. The Pontiacs, black vinyl seats, crackerjacks, plastic rings, river roads, Tupelo, Scorpios all remind her of that summer love that broke her heart. The final verse where she declares her hatred for Scorpios and ties it back to Pontiac's is a brilliant example of how our memories can find connections in the unlikeliest of places.
Line by Line Meaning
The Wisteria vines were climbin'
The Wisteria vines were growing and climbing.
Every sunset was a watercolor
Sunsets were beautiful and picturesque.
Had the promise of a perfect summer
The summer held the promise of being perfect.
Blue eyed boy with a red TransAm
A boy with blue eyes had a red TransAm.
We spent hours on his hood just laughing
We spent hours sitting on the hood of his car and laughing.
In between the moonlight dancing
In between the times we danced in the moonlight.
It was way too short but oh so sweet
The time we had together was too short, but very sweet.
I don't know what it was to him but it was love to me
I'm not sure if he loved me, but I definitely loved him.
That's why I hate Pontiac's
The reason I hate Pontiac's is because of the memories associated with them.
Black vinyl seats and Crackerjacks
With plastic rings they play it back
That goodbye scene on a warm September night
The memory of saying goodbye to him in his Pontiac on a warm September night is painful, even the black vinyl seats and the Crackerjacks with the plastic rings remind me of it.
That's why I hate river roads with the windows down
And Tupelo, oh I hate that town
'Cause all I know, that's where he was bound
And he never did come back, that's why I hate Pontiac's
I hate river roads with the windows down because they remind me of the time he left and went to Tupelo, from where he never returned. This is the reason why I hate Pontiac's.
I filed away my wounded pride
I found someone and loved again
Never take a trip to way back when
I decided to move on from my heartbreak, I filed away my wounded pride, found someone else and loved again. I don't ever want to revisit the past.
Till the radio plays a certain song
And it's like a finger on the trigger
Some old hurts they just hurt bigger
Sometimes when a certain song plays on the radio, it triggers old hurtful memories and makes the pain bigger.
Might have gotten past it long ago
But parts of yesterday
They get tattooed on your soul
I may have gotten over him a long time ago, but some parts of our past relationship are permanently etched into my soul.
Black vinyl seats we were maniacs
So wild and free, till he took it back
That he loved me and he drove off like the wind
We were young and free-spirited, we had fun on the black vinyl seats of his Pontiac until he took back his love and drove away quickly.
That's why I hate Scorpios you can't tie 'em down
And Tupelo, oh I hate that town
'Cause all I know, that's where he was bound
And he never did come back, that's why I hate Pontiac's
I hate Scorpios because they can't be tied down, and I hate Tupelo because that's where he went and never returned. This is why I hate Pontiac's.
That's why I hate Pontiac's
The reason I hate Pontiac's is because of the memories associated with them.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
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