Auto Tune: “5ive Gears in Reverse” by Elvis Costello
March 18th, 2015 at 3:00pm
Driving, riding, roads and of course cars themselves have all been immortalized by writers, composers and musicians around the world. Auto Tune is our way to spotlight a unique transportation song to celebrate these “ridden” gems along with the artists or composers who crafted them. Some you may know, many we’re sure you don’t.
Arguably one of the most mislabeled artists to come out of the punk movement in the ‘70s, Elvis Costello is a lot of things, but perhaps what he may value the most is the title songwriter. And when it comes to songs there wasn’t a topic he wouldn’t touch. “5ive Gears In Reverse
” has long been one of my favorite tunes from his 4th album 1980’s “Get Happy
.” And though its title may have a little Beach Boys/Jan & Dean flair to it — as do select automotive nouns & verbs in the body of the song — it’s far from what you’d consider a car tune. Check it out and see what I mean.
- Chip Drake, Executive Producer, Autoline