Ness was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts and raised in Fullerton in Orange County, California. Kicked out of his parents' home in Fullerton at the age of fifteen, he dabbled in drugs and petty crime, involving himself in the punk scene and founding Social Distortion in 1978. The band signed a contract with Posh Boy Records in 1981, releasing the Mainliner/Playpen 7" record. Then the band moved to 13th Floor Records in 1982 and released the album Mommy's Little Monster (1982).
By this time, Ness's drug addiction and self-destructive behavior had deepened to the point that the band almost broke up. The turmoil was captured on a video, Another State of Mind, which chronicled a cross-country tour. Five years passed before Social Distortion released their next album, 1988's Prison Bound, on Restless Records but Ness emerged from the time off free of his addictions and ready to work.
In 1989, Social Distortion signed a deal with Epic Records and released four albums with that label: the self-titled album (1990), Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell (1992) and White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996).
The band left Epic Records after White Light, White Heat, White Trash (1996) and joined Time Bomb Recordings, releasing Mainliner: Wreckage From the Past (a collection of old recordings and singles that were done in the early '80s) and Live at the Roxy (1998).
In 1999, Ness released his first solo album, Cheating at Solitaire. Although Social Distortion's music had contained country inflections as far back as Prison Bound, Cheating at Solitaire was an unalloyed expression of Ness's country side. 'Solitaire' included guest appearances by rock icon Bruce Springsteen, former Stray Cat Brian Setzer and drumming legend Josh Freese as well as members of Royal Crown Revue. Springsteen had touted Social D's 'Heaven and Hell' as his favorite record of the year in a Rolling Stone interview in 1992. Ness continued in this vein, releasing a compilation of country covers entitled Under the Influences that same year. Both albums came out on Time Bomb Recordings. Ness toured extensively in the U.S. in support of these albums, backed partially by the present-day (2006) incarnation of Social Distortion; Charlie Quintana (drums) Brent Harding (standing & electric bass) and Johnny Wickersham (guitar tech). Ness and the band played at Woodstock '99. After that, his bandmate and guitarist Dennis Danell died on February 29, 2000 due to an aneurysm, but Social Distortion did not completely disband.
In 2004, Social Distortion came back with a live DVD called "Live In Orange County," and then recorded an album titled Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll, which was released on Time Bomb Recordings. These efforts marked the first recordings with a line up consisting of Ness on Guitar and vocals, Wickersham on guitar, and Quintana on drums and also consisted of songs co-written by Ness and Wickersham. This is the first time Ness collaborated with another songwriter since 1990's self-titled album, on which he and then bassist John Maurer wrote 'Let it be Me'. The band's lineup changed twice after Maurer left the band, just a month before the release on Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll. He was replaced by Operation Ivy/Rancid bassist Matt Freeman until early 2005 and current member Brent Harding joined as his replacement.
In February 2006, Ness broke his wrist while skateboarding in Las Vegas. T.S.O.L. guitarist Ron Emory is filling in on guitar duties while Mike's wrist heals. Mike is still performing, just not playing guitar.
Social Distortion is currently working on their next studio album, which is due for release in late 2006/early 2007.
Ness currently lives in Santa Ana, California with his wife Christine Marie, and two sons Johnny and Julian. He is also a hot rod enthusiast, driving a chopped 1954 Chevy leadsled, a 1936 Ford, and a 1960 Chevy Impala.
(from Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Ness).
I'm In Love w/ My Car
Mike Ness Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I ain't got many friends
Gonna drive that car of mine
To the living end
My baby likes to run
Run as fast as you can
And when I'm in her
I feel like a manI'm in love with my car.
Got a V-8 motor
Listen to her purr
And when I put my pedal down
My whole world's a blur
Cruisin' down the highway
My lead sled's mean and low
The police behind me
I ain't ready to goI'm in love with my car.
Got twin carburetors
I got dual exhaust
And it don't matter baby
If we get lost
Make love to me girl
In my back seat
The radio's a playin' something
Slow and sweetI'm in love with my car.
Mike Ness's "I'm in Love w/My Car" is a rock and roll track that tells the story of a man who is so obsessed with his car that he considers it his girlfriend. The first verse of the song paints a picture of a man with no romantic partner in his life and a small social circle. He finds solace in his car and plans to drive it until the end of the road. The car serves as his companion and brings out his sense of masculinity. The chorus, "I'm in love with my car," further emphasizes his deep emotional attachment to the vehicle.
The second verse highlights the car's mechanical features with its V-8 motor and twin carburetors which offer a thrilling ride. The main character enjoys going fast and feeling the rush of adrenaline as he cruises down the highway. However, his reckless behavior leads to the police chasing him, and he is not ready to stop the car he loves so much. The final verse is the most sexually explicit, as the man invites a woman to make love to him on the backseat of his car while listening to some slow and sweet music on the radio.
The lyrics to "I'm in Love w/My Car" portray the idea that cars are more than just a piece of transportation, they can become a part of someone's identity and provide them with a sense of freedom and power. The song's catchy melody, together with the powerful guitar riffs, energizes the listener to feel the passion that Mike Ness puts into the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Ain't got a girl
I don't have a girlfriend
I ain't got many friends
I don't have a lot of friends
Gonna drive that car of mine
I'm going to drive my car
To the living end
Until the end of my life
My baby likes to run
My car likes to go fast
Run as fast as you can
Go as fast as possible
And when I'm in her
And when I'm driving my car
I feel like a man
I feel powerful
I'm in love with my car.
I really love my car
Got a V-8 motor
My car has a V-8 engine
Listen to her purr
My car sounds great
And when I put my pedal down
And when I accelerate
My whole world's a blur
Everything goes by quickly
Cruisin' down the highway
Driving on the highway
My lead sled's mean and low
My car is tough and low to the ground
The police behind me
The cops are following me
I ain't ready to go
I'm not ready to stop driving
Got twin carburetors
My car has two carburetors
I got dual exhaust
My car has two exhaust pipes
And it don't matter baby
And it doesn't matter, my love
If we get lost
If we get lost while driving
Make love to me girl
Let's have sex in the car
In my back seat
In the back seat of the car
The radio's a playin' something
And the radio is playing music
Slow and sweet
Slow and romantic
I'm in love with my car.
I really love my car
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: MICHAEL NESS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind