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Keith Wallin (@onefortheroad) |

"Vehicle" is a song recorded by American rock band The Ides of March for their debut studio album of the same name (1970). It was released as the lead single from the album in March 1970 through Warner Bros. Records. Written by vocalist and frontman Jim Peterik, the song is about a girl that often used him for his mode of transportation, leading Peterik to surmise that he was little more than her "vehicle". The arrangement includes a distinctive horn section riff, which caused some listeners to mistake the band for Blood, Sweat and Tears, who were also popular in that era.
"Vehicle" was a commercial success, and was purported to be the fastest-selling single in the history of Warner Bros. at that time. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, while reaching the top 5 in Canada and top 30 in the United Kingdom. Despite this, the Ides of March never had another hit single, leaving them one-hit wonders.
Peterik wrote "Vehicle" as a tongue-in-cheek joke, having been initially inspired by anti-drug pamphlets passed out to high-schoolers. He expanded on the song's genesis in a piece for The Wall Street Journal:
At the time, I was madly in love with this girl named Karen. I had a souped-up 1964 Plymouth Valiant, and she was always asking for rides. I drove her to modeling school every week. I was hoping flames would ignite—but they didn't. I came home one day, dejected, and thought: all I am is her vehicle. And I thought: Wow! Vehicle! I came up with this song, taught it to the band, and the next thing I knew, we were recording in a CBS studio.
Peterik had an on-again/off-again relationship with the woman after the song came out, and they eventually wed.
Fourteen seconds of the completed "Vehicle" master tape (primarily the guitar solo) was accidentally erased in the recording studio. The missing section was spliced in from a previously discarded take.
I remember that kind of feeling of experimentation. I also remember 14 seconds of the master of "Vehicle" being erased! We were doing background vocals and suddenly 14 seconds were gone from the master. No way to retrieve it. The second engineer had hit the wrong button. We spent two hours thinking our career is over, because at this time we knew we had something. Luckily, there was a Take One. They inserted 14 seconds of Take One and I redid the vocals. And now I hear it every time. From the second "Great God in heaven" all the way up to the guitar solo—-when you hear how abrupt that first note of the solo sounds, that's an edit.
It rose to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of May 23, 1970, behind "American Woman" by the Guess Who. It was considered to be the fastest-selling single in Warner Bros. Records history at that time.
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Bev:
@onefortheroad You did a fantastic job here Keith. I've always liked the song. Really enjoyed your performance this morning. ♥♫
Sep 24th 2020, 2:27 am Report
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Len:
oldmansteds.. You put everything into this one Keith and it shows....Well done.
Sep 24th 2020, 4:15 am Report
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admin:
@onefortheroad Awesome tune and wooo fantastic cover here Keith. Loved this ♥ You have really been rocking us OUT!!!!!
Sep 24th 2020, 6:27 am Report
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Qwilleran:
@onefortheroad Running around in a black vehicle, that's doing the run-a-round. Another new, enjoyed tune.
Sep 24th 2020, 11:12 am Report
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Joe Huber:
@onefortheroad Hi Keith enjoyed my listen thanks for sharing.
Sep 24th 2020, 7:48 pm Report
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Keith Wallin:
@bevb Thanks, Bev! Absolutely love singing this song. It has pretty cool lyrics and the music is awesome! Glad you enjoyed it. Appreciate seeing you in the front row again!....:-)
Oct 9th 2020, 7:20 pm Report
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Keith Wallin:
@oldmansteds Thanks, Len! Yeah.... this was a fun sing for me. Glad you liked my take on it. Have a terrific weekend....:-)
Oct 9th 2020, 7:21 pm Report
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Keith Wallin:
@admin WOW! Kelly.....thank you sooooo much for such an enthusiastic response to this one! So happy you enjoyed my performance....YOU ROCK!!!....:-)
Oct 9th 2020, 7:23 pm Report
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Keith Wallin:
@qwirky He got tired of getting the run around and wrote a song about it....lol Sometimes, people will try to take advantage of your generosity as if it was their right!
Oct 9th 2020, 7:25 pm Report
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Keith Wallin:
@joehuber Thanks, Joe! Glad you enjoyed it. Have a great weekend....:-)
Oct 9th 2020, 7:26 pm Report
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