“They don’t write songs about Volvos,” Chevrolet proclaimed in 2001. This slogan was repeated by the automaker in 2003 in a TV commercial that was broadcast for the first time during the Grammys. The television spot featured vintage video of the Beach Boys singing “409,” building a timeline of Bowtie history that ended with Prince’s “Little Red Corvette.”

The Dead Milkmen in 1988. Photo from www.deadmilkmen.com

Whether or not some of our most cherished “car” songs really are written about our favorite makes and models is one of those questions that remains in the air, where quite honestly it should stay. Why spoil the fun of guessing, after all?

Whether it’s the erotic suggestiveness of the artist or the go-fast tactics of the 1960s’ favorite band of surfers, much of America’s most profound songwriting has all too often been found to revolve around one subject. That subject of table talk is America’s favorite automotive brand, and as can be seen through a review of our nation’s car song-writing history, Chevy is the make most worth singing about.

Some of the coolest motor tunes ever written have been about Bowties which led us to dig through some of our old vinyls, 45s and cassettes to break through the walls of music history and find out just what are the 10 best Chevy songs ever written. What we found through this search is not only do some of America’s most prolific musicians love their Chevys, but that songs written about Chevrolet exceed the boundaries of time and genre.

For the next several weeks we’ll be reviewing our favorite Chevy songs, and our time-traveling journey starts in the hardcore punk scene of the early-to-mid ’80s, where one group of Philly gents decided to pay the decade’s ultimate tribute to GM’s F-body.

Canadian Listed

“Bitchin’ Camaro” by Dead Milkmen

Philadelphia’s own Dead Milkmen first appeared on the region’s punk rock scene in 1983, and by ’85 they had attracted the attention of college radio with their debut LP, Big Lizard in My Backyard, featuring the now-famous single, “Bitchin’ Camaro.” The F-body tunes’ improv-style intro made it a cult classic that would become Milkmen fans’ favorite song performed live.

The song’s lyrics are pretty simple, even trashy when you really take the time to read them. In fact, “Bitchin’ Camaro” by Dead Milkmen sounds on the surface like not too much more than the random rant of a spoiled suburban kid whose wealthy and well-connected parents just bought him a really sweet, brand new Camaro, probably as a way of saying “He’s 20; thank God he’s finally out of high school!”