ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 ye… Read Full Bio ↴ZZ Top is an American rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. For 51 years, it was composed of vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and bassist-vocalist Dusty Hill, until Hill's death in 2021. ZZ Top had developed a signature sound based on Gibbons' blues guitar playing style and Hill and Beard's rhythm section. They are popular for their live performances, sly and humorous lyrics, and the matching appearances of Gibbons and Hill, who wore sunglasses, hats and long beards.

ZZ Top formed after Gibbons' previous band, Moving Sidewalks, disbanded in 1969. Within a year, they signed with London Records and released ZZ Top's First Album in 1971. Subsequent releases, such as Tres Hombres (1973) and Fandango! (1975), and the singles "La Grange" and "Tush", gained extensive radio airplay. By the mid-1970s, ZZ Top had become renowned in North America for their live act, including the Worldwide Texas Tour (1976–1977), which was a critical and commercial success.

After a hiatus, ZZ Top returned in 1979 with a new musical direction and image, with Gibbons and Hill wearing sunglasses and matching chest-length beards. With the album El Loco (1981), they began to experiment with synthesizers and drum machines. They established a more mainstream sound and rose to international stardom with Eliminator (1983) and Afterburner (1985), which integrated influences from new wave, punk, and dance-rock. The popularity of these albums' music videos, including those for "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", and "Legs", gave them mass exposure on television channel MTV and made them prominent artists in 1980s pop culture. The Afterburner tour set records for the highest-attended and highest-grossing concert tour of 1986.

After gaining additional acclaim with the release of their tenth album Recycler (1990), and its accompanying tour, the group's experimentation continued with mixed success on the albums Antenna (1994), Rhythmeen (1996), XXX (1999), and Mescalero (2003). They most recently released La Futura (2012) and Goin' 50 (2019), a compilation album commemorating the band's 50th anniversary. By the time of Hill's death in 2021, ZZ Top had become the longest-running band with an unchanged lineup in the history of popular music. Per Hill's wishes, he was replaced by their longtime guitar tech Elwood Francis on bass.

ZZ Top has released 15 studio albums and sold an estimated 50 million records worldwide. They have won three MTV Video Music Awards, and in 2004, the members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 2015, Rolling Stone ranked Gibbons the 32nd greatest guitarist of all time. The band members have supported campaigns and charities including Childline, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and a fundraiser for the Delta Blues Museum.

Studio albums
ZZ Top's First Album (1971)
Rio Grande Mud (1972)
Tres Hombres (1973)
Fandango! (1975)
Tejas (1976)
Degüello (1979)
El Loco (1981)
Eliminator (1983)
Afterburner (1985)
Recycler (1990)
Antenna (1994)
Rhythmeen (1996)
XXX (1999)
Mescalero (2003)
La Futura (2012)

I Wanna Drive You Home
ZZ Top Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She is an American car,
She isn't legal so she can't go far.
She got her mind stuck up in second gear,
Where she going ain't exactly clear.
Baby please, baby please, I want to drive you home.

Low mileage without a pink slip,
Clean upholstery and it ain't been ripped.

She stripped her gears only late last night,
I don't think that thing was oiling right.
Baby please, baby please, I want to drive you home.

She shakes and shimmies all over the road,
She's always happy when she carry a load.
Another lonesome automobile,

Something bout the way she makes me feel.
Baby please, baby please, I want to drive you home.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to ZZ Top's song I Wanna Drive You Home are about a car that the singer is lusting after. The song begins with the description of the car as an American car that can't go far because it isn't legal. The car has its mind stuck in second gear and where it's going isn't clear. The singer is beguiled by this car and wants to drive it home.

The next verse describes the car as having low mileage and clean upholstery that hasn't been ripped. However, the car stripped its gears only last night, suggesting that it might be faulty. Despite this, the singer still wants to drive it home.

The third verse reveals that the car shakes and shimmies all over the road but is happy when it carries a load. The singer also compares the car to another lonesome car and concludes that there is something about the way this car makes him feel that he can't resist. Overall, the lyrics describe the singer's infatuation with this car, its flaws notwithstanding.

Line by Line Meaning

She is an American car,
The car in question is American-made.

She isn't legal so she can't go far.
The car is not legally permitted to be driven long distances.

She got her mind stuck up in second gear,
The car is having trouble shifting to higher gears.

Where she going ain't exactly clear.
It's uncertain where the driver intends to take the car.

Baby please, baby please, I want to drive you home.
The driver wants to take the car home.

Low mileage without a pink slip,
The car has low mileage but lacks proper registration documents.

Clean upholstery and it ain't been ripped.
The interior of the car is well-maintained.

She stripped her gears only late last night,
The car experienced transmission failure recently.

I don't think that thing was oiling right.
The driver suspects the car may have had mechanical issues.

She shakes and shimmies all over the road,
The car has a rough ride and handles poorly.

She's always happy when she carry a load.
The car handles better with additional weight.