| Car song | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | 1900s: Popular music, dance, ragtime, march
1950s: Blues, doo-wop, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, soul, traditional pop 1960s: Rock, surf |
| Cultural origins | Earliest forms emerged in the 1900s, United States Fully developed in early 1950s, United States Peak popularity achieved as "hot rod rock", in early 1960s, California, United States |
A car song is a song with lyrics or musical themes pertaining to car travel. Though the earliest forms appeared in the 1900s, car songs emerged in full during the 1950s as part of rock and roll and car culture, but achieved their peak popularity in the West Coast of the United States during the 1960s with the emergence of hot rod rock as an outgrowth of the surf music scene. Though this popularity declined by the late 1960s, cars remain a frequently used subject matter in pop music into the 21st century.[1]