After Be-Bop-A-Lula had become a huge hit in 1956 (peaking at #7 and spending 20 weeks in the Billboard Pop Chart), Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps (often mis-named as 'the' Blue Caps) were unable to follow it up with the same level of commercial success, but released critically acclaimed songs like Race With The Devil (#96 in Billboard) and Bluejean Bop (#49).
Following a visit to Europe in 1959, Vincent managed to attract a new huge and discerning audience there, especially in England and France. By that time his career had mostly ended in the US. In 1960, while on tour in Britain, Vincent and songwriter Sharon Sheeley were seriously injured in a high-speed traffic accident. Vincent broke his ribs, collarbone, and added further damage to his already weak leg which he had injured in a motorcycle accident in 1955 and refused to have amputated, and Sheeley suffered a broken pelvis. Both Vincent and Sheeley survived, but the accident killed Vincent's tourmate and Sheeley's fiancé, Eddie Cochran.
Vincent subsequently moved to England in 1963. His stage shows became "must see" events and his bands through those years were to spawn some of the most respected players in the world today. It was during his early tours of Britain that he adopted the trademark leather outfit, at the suggestion of British Rock 'n' Roll impressario, Jack Good.
Pink Thunderbird
Gene Vincent Lyrics
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Well, a-baby it's mine
I got a new brick house with a two car port
Well, a-baby that's mine too
I got a bank account, well baby, filled with green
Well, a-baby it's all mine
There ain't nothing I got baby you don't need
Anything I got baby, you can use
Anything I got baby, you can have it
If you'll only say; I do, I do, I do, I do
(Rock!)
I got a big white yacht at the edge of the lake
Well, a-baby that's mine
I got a million cows, lowing all the time
Well, a-baby they're mine too
I got a factory and an airplane too
Well, a-baby they're all mine
The lyrics of Gene Vincent’s “Pink Thunderbird” convey the singer’s pride in his material possessions and wealth. The pink Thunderbird with the red fur seat, the new brick house with a two-car port, the bank account filled with green – everything he has is his own, and he’s eager to share it with the person he’s addressing. The singer says that there is nothing he has that the addressee doesn’t need, and anything that he owns, the addressee can have. All they have to do is say “I do, I do, I do, I do.”
The song can be seen as a celebration of the American Dream – the idea that anyone can become rich and successful if they work hard enough. The singer is proud of the fact that he has worked for his possessions, and he wants to share his success with someone he cares about. Moreover, the song is a perfect example of the rock and roll genre that was popular in the late 1950s – fast-paced, upbeat, and filled with sexual innuendo. “Pink Thunderbird” was released in 1958, the same year that Elvis Presley was drafted into the army, which marked the beginning of the decline of rock and roll. The song is a reminder of a time when rock and roll was young and vibrant, and when songs like “Pink Thunderbird” could reach the top of the charts.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a pink Thunderbird with a red fur seat
I own a car that is a pink Thunderbird with a seat covered in red fur.
Well, a-baby it's mine
It belongs to me and nobody else.
I got a new brick house with a two car port
I possess a newly constructed home that has a port for two cars.
Well, a-baby that's mine too
It also belongs to me and nobody else.
I got a bank account, well baby, filled with green
I have a bank account that has a lot of money in it.
Well, a-baby it's all mine
It is entirely under my ownership.
There ain't nothing I got baby you don't need
I do not own anything that you do not require.
Well, anything I got baby, you can have it
Anything that belongs to me is available for you to take.
Anything I got baby, you can use
You are free to use anything that I have.
Anything I got baby, you can have it
You can possess anything that belongs to me.
If you'll only say; I do, I do, I do, I do (Rock!)
If you agree to marry me, I will give you all that I currently own.
I got a big white yacht at the edge of the lake
I possess a colossal, white yacht situated on the edge of the lake.
Well, a-baby that's mine
It is under my ownership.
I got a million cows, lowing all the time
I own a million cows that are constantly mooing.
Well, a-baby they're mine too
They are also under my ownership and care.
I got a factory and an airplane too
I own a factory and an airplane.
Well, a-baby they're all mine
They all belong to me and nobody else.
Contributed by Adam N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.