Bruce Springsteen - Pink Cadillac - Lyrics Meaning

The hopping and exuberant "Pink Cadillac" had actually been bumped from a few Bruce Springsteen albums before it was finally released in 1988. It had been written for a 1982 album, but they had opted to save it for later. The piece was suggestive on one level and innocent on another, leaving it up to listeners to argue out the meaning.

On one level, the song is about a love affair with a car. In his Born in the USA tour, which actually took place before the song made it on to the album, this interpretation was used as a partial comic relief piece. A mock video of a salesman played while the band rested before launching back into the song. The comedy of it all was hammed up to considerable levels and the sales pitch for the impractical car grew as the tour progressed.

However, on another level, the "Pink Cadillac" can refer to things other than a car, continuing a tradition of sex-charged images in Springsteen's music and rock and roll in general. This interpretation led to AOL temporarily banning the song from music discussion boards for its explicit sexual content. Listening to the piece again, your ears will have to determine what you think fits the music the best.