Cadillac Ranch

Cadillac Ranch is not a ranch but a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, USA. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm. It consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junk Cadillac automobiles, representing a number of evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of mid twentieth century Cadillacs: the tailfins) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

History

Chip Lord and Doug Michels were architects; Marquez was an art student at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. According to Chip Lord, “Ant Farm was founded as an alternative architectural practice, kind of an experiment in an attempt to subvert normal corporate ways of doing architecture.”

According to Marquez, “Chip and I were living in the mountains north of San Francisco, and there was a book meant for kids left in a bar near where we lived. It was called ‘The Look of Cars,’ and there was something on the rise and fall of the tail fin. I didn’t have a lot to do, so I just sorta drew it up. I’ve always loved the Cadillacs.”

Cadillac Ranch (Chris LeDoux song)

"Cadillac Ranch" is a song written by Chuck Jones and Chris Waters, and recorded by American country music artist Chris LeDoux. It was released in October 1992 as the second and final single from his album Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy. The song reached number 18 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and number 16 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks.

Content

The song is an uptempo, in which the narrator discusses turning their farm into a party nightspot because of their financial issues.

Critical reception

Deborah Evans Price, of Billboard magazine reviewed the song favorably, calling it a "rock'n'roll-ish tale about converting a failing farm into a thriving nightspot."

Music video

The music video was directed by Michael Merriman and premiered in October 1992.

Chart performance

"Cadillac Ranch" debuted at number 52 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks for the week of November 7, 1992.

References

External links

Cadillac Ranch (Bruce Springsteen song)

"Cadillac Ranch" is a song written by Bruce Springsteen that was first released on Springsteen's 1980 album The River. In 1981 it was released as single in Europe, backed by "Be True" in France and by "Wreck on the Highway" in the UK. Although it was not released as a single in the US, it did reach #48 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. A favorite in concert, a live version was included on Live/1975–85. A version was also included on the documentary film Blood Brothers.

Music and lyrics

"Cadillac Ranch" is an exuberant, playful rocker with rockabilly influences. According to music critic Dave Marsh, it "made dinosaurs dance." It is highlighted by Clarence Clemons' saxophone solo. Author June Skinner Sawyers called the song "pure rowdy fun" and listed it as one of Springsteen's ten funniest songs. John Cruz of Sputnik Music called the song "just plain fun," noting its infectious beat. However, the theme of the song is "the transitoriness of all existence" and the inevitability of death. Marsh called the song "one of the smartest songs ever about the inevitability of death". Marsh further noted that although the protagonist of "Cadillac Ranch" seems similar to the protagonists of earlier Springsteen records, in this song he appears naive and vulnerable rather than bold and innocent.