Tag: Gasoline

In Praise of Fuel Efficiency: Justin Townes Earle’s “Champagne Corolla”

Justin Townes Earle wrote a rare love song that praises a woman for driving a fuel-efficient car, “Champagne Corolla.”

With the price of gasoline surging recently, it is a good time for the rare song that praises the choice of a fuel-efficient car. Perhaps there is no better song referencing the topic than Justin Townes Earle‘s song about the singer’s love for a woman driving a “Champagne Corolla.” In the song, the singer notes how the woman must have a good head on her shoulders because, “She can run all week on just one tank.”

“Champagne Corolla” appeared as the lead track on Justin Townes Earle’s 2017 album, Kids in the Street. At the time, Allmusic praised “Champagne Corolla” as a “stompin’ exercise in New Orleans-influenced R&B.” The song also appeared on the posthumous 2024 All In: Unreleased & Rarities (The New West Years) in a version Earle had performed on his father Steve Earle’s Satellite radio show (see below). Steve Earle also recorded a nice version of his son’s song on his 2021 album made in tribute to Justin Townes Earle, J.T.

I don’t care what no man say,
She can run all week on just one tank;
Goes to show you,
Maybe baby got a head on her shoulders, yeah;
And she sure looks sweet driving by in that champagne Corolla.

I know every man think that he need some high tone woman,
Something built for speed;
But you can’t trust a rich girl,
No farther than you can throw her;
Need a middle class queen riding by in a champagne Corolla.

As for the car, Toyota has been making Corollas since 1966. As the singer in the song implies, the Corolla is seen as a practical compact car known for its fuel efficiency.

In the video below, Justin Townes Earle, who passed away on August 20, 2020, performs “Champagne Corolla” in May 2017 on Steve Earle’s Hardcore Troubadour Radio show on SiriusXM.

Until there is a great song about an electric car, is “Champagne Corolla” the champagne of songs mentioning fuel efficiency? Leave your two cents in the comments.

A Gallon of Gas Can’t Be Purchased Anywhere

kinks low budget Since Hurricane Sandy hit New York, it has been quite difficult to find gasoline, as stations are still closed because they do not have power and those that are open run out of gas quickly. I have seen long lines and closed stations around and outside the city.

So, today, New York City and Long Island began a gas rationing plan like New Jersey previously implemented. Drivers with license plates that end in an even number can buy gas on even-numbered days, and those with vanity plates or plates that end in an odd number can buy gas on odd-numbered days. For the most part, it should cut down the length of lines at least. And it is hard to complain too much about the temporary rationing when so many people in the area were hurt much worse by the hurricane.

The rationing reminded me of when I was a kid in the 1970s and there was gas rationing across the country. Hopefully, our regional gas problem will end quickly, but the 1970s the problem lasted long enough for The Kinks to record a song about the problem. In The Kinks’ blues-influenced “A Gallon of Gas,” the singer finds himself successful enough to finally buy a Cadillac but then discovers he cannot get gas for it. He goes to his “local dealer” to buy some gas but is told that while a number of drugs are available for a reasonable price, there is no gasoline.

There’s no more left to buy or sell;
There’s no more oil left in the well;
A gallon of gas can’t be purchased anywhere,
For any amount of cash.

You also may track down a live performance of the song from “Rockpalast Night” in Essen in 1982. The Kinks released “A Gallon of Gas” as a single only in the U.S. in August 1979, and the song appeared on their 1978 album, Low Budget. While the song’s title may be aimed at the U.S. market, I believe the song uses the gallon measurement instead of the liter/litre because at the time the U.K. had not yet converted gas sales to the metric system, although I have found conflicting reports of the actual year the U.K. made the change at gas stations.

Bonus Gas Songs: There does not seem to be a lot of songs inspired by gas shortages, but another 1970s gas song is John Mayall’s “Gasoline Blues,” from the album The Latest Edition (1974). More recently, Britney Spears released a song called “Gasoline” on Femme Fatale (2011), although for some reason I don’t think the song has anything to do with gas prices and gas shortages (“Your touch, burning me / It’s too much, gasoline”).

What are your favorite gas-related songs? Leave your two cents in the comments.

  • In Praise of Fuel Efficiency: Justin Townes Earle’s “Champagne Corolla”
  • The Kinks: Ray and Dave Davies Reunite
  • Laugh of the Day: Real Audio for Beach Boys “I Get Around”
  • Paul McCartney & Members of Nirvana: “Cut Me Some Slack”
  • Hurricane Sandy Concert Ends With Springsteen’s Hope
  • Shelter from the Storm

    • (Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)