It was the first song recorded by The Clash at London Calling’s Wessex studio. According to Marcus Gray’s Route 19 Revisited: The Clash and London Calling, Topper Headon called Cadillac “the first British rock and roll song.” Joe Strummer called Vince Taylor, who presented a leather-clad, wild man image, the beginning of rock and roll in England.
Vince Taylor was born in Middlesex, England but moved to the States at the age of 7 where he attended the fabled Hollywood High. Growing up there, he listened to Gene Vincent and Elvis Presley and, while traveling in London with his sister, formed The Playboys. “Brand New Cadillac” was the B-side to their second single (“Parlophone“) but became one of their most well-known songs and was sought out by collectors even before The Clash covered it.
The choice of Taylor’s song reflects Joe Strummer’s clear preference for “rockers” over “mods” – a constant theme in his compositions and lyrics, his personal image, and a sub-text to the lyrics of the title track of “London Calling“.
Brand New Cadillac
The Clash Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drive!
My baby drove up in a brand new Cadillac
Yes, she did
My baby drove up in a brand new Cadillac
She said, "Hey, come here, Daddy"
"I ain't never comin' back"
Baby, baby, won't you hear my plea?
C'mon, sugar, just come on back to me
She said, "Balls to you, Big Daddy"
Baby, baby, won't you hear my plea?
Oh come on, just hear my plea
She said, "Balls to you, Daddy"
She ain't coming back to me
Baby, baby drove up in a Cadillac
I said, "Jesus Christ, where'd you get that Cadillac?"
She said, "Balls to you, big Daddy"
She ain't never coming back!
She ain't never coming back!
She ain't never coming back!
She ain't never coming back!
She ain't never coming back!
The Clash's "Brand New Cadillac" is a fast-paced, rockabilly-influenced song that tells the story of a man who is left heartbroken by his lover who drives up to him in a brand new Cadillac and tells him that she will never come back. The song's lyrics are simple, catchy, and repetitive, with the singer pleading with his lover to come back to him while she insists that she will never return. The chorus, which consists of the repeated phrase "She ain't never coming back," underscores the singer's sense of despair and hopelessness.
The song can be interpreted as a commentary on the transience of material possessions and the potentially fleeting nature of relationships. The brand new Cadillac that the lover drives up in can be seen as a symbol of wealth, status, and power, but ultimately it is not enough to keep the relationship intact. The singer's pleas for his lover to come back to him highlight the underlying vulnerability and fragility of his self-esteem.
Overall, "Brand New Cadillac" is a classic rock tune that showcases The Clash's ability to blend different genres and styles, while also delivering a poignant message about the complexities of human relationships and the fleeting nature of material possessions.
Line by Line Meaning
Drive!
Drive!
Expression of excitement and encouragement to the driver of the Cadillac.
My baby drove up in a brand new Cadillac
Yes, she did
My baby drove up in a brand new Cadillac
She said, "Hey, come here, Daddy"
"I ain't never comin' back"
The singer's lover arrives in a new Cadillac but announces that she won't be returning.
Baby, baby, won't you hear my plea?
C'mon, sugar, just come on back to me
She said, "Balls to you, Big Daddy"
The singer is pleading with his lover to come back to him, but she rebuffs him rudely.
Baby, baby drove up in a Cadillac
I said, "Jesus Christ, where'd you get that Cadillac?"
She said, "Balls to you, big Daddy"
She ain't never coming back!
The artist is surprised and asks where his lover got the car, but she still refuses to return to him.
She ain't never coming back!
She ain't never coming back!
She ain't never coming back!
She ain't never coming back!
She ain't never coming back!
Repetition of the fact that the artist's lover will never return to him.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Vince Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@gillesgrindel7985
@@cpj93070 I hesitated between 70's and 80's before making a choice.
I thought that Led Zepelin, Deep Purple and lot of other band were more representative of 70's guitar sound than the Clash and that's why I finally chose 80's.
Punk Rock came in the late 70's and were starting a different approach of the guitar more based on sound than on technic.
No more 5mn guitar solo but heavy dirty sound aded with lyrics talking more about their audience daily life.
And it led to the 80's guitar song still based on sound even if they were given a "second role to leave more room to the keyboards. (no need to tell you it wasn't my favourite period as I'm a drummer and I wouldn't have been one only with 80's kind of music).
And I think The Clash career has more year in the 80's than the 70's, hasn't it ? Anyway, I always known them as a 80's rock band more than 70's, an other reason of my choice.
That's the reason behind my 80's choice.
@roromeowow
Drive!
Drive!
My baby drove up in a brand new Cadillac
Yes, she did
My baby drove up in a brand new Cadillac
She said, "Hey, come here, Daddy"
"I ain't never comin' back"
Baby, baby, won't you hear my plea?
C'mon, sugar, just come on back to me
She said, "Balls to you, Big Daddy"
Baby, baby, won't you hear my plea?
Oh come on, just hear my plea
She said, "Balls to you, Daddy"
She ain't coming back to me
Baby, baby drove up in a Cadillac
I said, "Jesus Christ, where'd you get that Cadillac?"
She said, "Balls to you, big Daddy"
She ain't never coming back!
She ain't never coming back!
She ain't never coming back!
She ain't never coming back!
She ain't never coming back!
@stephencoomer5692
Driiiiiiiive!!!
Driiiiiiiive!!!
[Chorus]
My baby drove up in a brand new Cadillac
Yes, she did
My baby drove up in a brand new Cadillac
She said, "Hey, come here, Daddy!"
"I ain't never comin' back!"
[Verse 1]
Baby, baby, won't you hear my plea?
C'mon, sugar, just come on back to me
She said, "Balls to you, Big Daddy"
[Verse 2]
Baby, baby, won't you hear my plea?
Oh, c'mon, just hear my plea
She said, "Balls to you, Daddy"
She ain't comin' back to me
[Chorus]
Baby, baby drove up in a Cadillac
I said, "Jesus Christ! Where'd ya' get that Cadillac?"
She said, "Balls to you, Daddy"
She ain't never coming back! (x4)
@joelshaw7878
This is the best cut on London Calling. It's the definition of hard driving Rock & Roll. I saw the The Clash in Munich Germany May 14, 1980 when I worked security. We confiscated a box full of chains, a dozen switchblades and two revolvers. Rough crowd. Fantastic Concert. They played most everything off London Calling and the majority of Sandinista! I saw them again in SF during the Combat Rock tour as well, but it just did not have the same electrical jolt as Munich which will be stored in my memory banks forever.
@HighlyContrasted
you lucky lucky man
@tooties545
...and that was the Sunday matinee crowd. 🤣
@eugeneax6007
Yikes, rough crowd indeed. Still must have been an epic show though.
@codjh9
Wish I'd seen 'em live too. I should've... that cover photo on London Calling was taken at the Armadillo World HQ in Austin, and I lived nearby, dammit...
@johnrectangle6034
Saw the Clash two times. First at a concert in Paris organised by a left wing newspaper named Rouge.A hundred of real anarchists which called themselves autonomists tried to enter without paying for a ticket so the security service of the left wing fighted them during the Clash concert in front of the stage. Joe was laughing watching that. It was at this concert that it was said Joe got hepatitis after someone spat on him. Think it's 1978.Second time in 1979 also in Paris The Clash was big at this time. It was after Sandinista. I preferred the first concert coz I preferred the first two albums.
@rileymcgill9893
Their bass bass player is so damn good. He just walks all over the place in every song. Fucking sick
@patthewoodboy
agree ... the cover sums him up :-)
@skumbaeg45
Yeah Paul Simonon has his own fuckin Bass style
@xanthippe9757
Oh hell! You`re so right! WOW!!!