‘Little Red Corvette’ is a song by American recording artist Prince. The song combines a Linn LM-1 beat and slow synth buildup with a rock chorus, over which Prince, using several automobile metaphors, recalls a one-night stand with a beautiful promiscuous woman. Backing vocals were performed by Lisa Coleman and Dez Dickerson; Dickerson also performs a guitar solo on the song.
Prince got the idea for the song when he dozed off in band member Lisa Coleman's 1964 pink Mercury Montclair Marauder after an exhausting all-night recording session. The lyrics came to him in bits and pieces during this and other catnaps. Eventually, he was able to finish it without sleeping. The song is about sex, but it's just ambiguous enough not to offend most listeners. Many of Prince's earlier songs were blatantly sexual, which scared off radio stations.
Released in 1983 as the second single from 1999, the song was, at that point, Prince's highest charting and his first to reach the top 10 in the U.S., peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also his first single to perform better on the pop chart than the R&B chart. Later, it was rereleased as a double A-side with ‘1999’, peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart in January 1985. Following Prince's death in April 2016, ‘Little Red Corvette’ re-charted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 29, rising to number 20 the following week. It has sold more than 900,000 copies in the United States.
An extended dance remix of ‘Little Red Corvette,’ featured on some 12" releases, was later featured on the 2006 compilation Ultimate. This was Prince's his first Top 10 US hit. It helped propel him to superstar status, a title he lived up to with electrifying live shows and a startlingly prolific output of material, including music, movies, and videos. In 2001, Chevrolet put up billboards with a picture of a red 1963 Corvette Sting Ray that said, "They don't write songs about Volvos."
Label – Warner Bros.
Songwriter – Prince
Producer – Prince
SONG LYRICS
[Verse 1]I guess I should've known by the way you parked your car sideways
That it wouldn't last
See, you're the kinda person that believes in makin' out once
Love 'em and leave 'em fast
I guess I must be dumb 'cause you had a pocket full of horses
Trojan and some of them used
[Pre-Chorus]
But it was Saturday night, I guess that makes it all right
And you say, "What have I got to lose?"
[Chorus]
And, honey, I say, little red Corvette
Baby, you're much too fast (Oh)
Little red Corvette
You need a love that's gonna last
[Verse 2]
I guess I should've closed my eyes when you drove me to the place
Where your horses run free
'Cause I felt a little ill when I saw all the pictures
Of the jockeys that were there before me
Believe it or not, I started to worry
I wondered if I had enough class
[Pre-Chorus]
But it was Saturday night, I guess that makes it all right
And you say, "Baby, have you got enough gas?"
Oh yeah!
[Chorus]
Little red Corvette
Baby, you're much too fast
(Yes, you are)
Little red Corvette
You need to find a love that's gonna last
(Oh, oh)
[Guitar solo]
Ooh, ooo ooo
Ooh, ooo ooo
[Bridge]
A body like yours oughta be in jail
'Cause it's on the verge of bein' obscene
Move over, baby, gimme the keys
I'm gonna try to tame your little red love machine
[Chorus]
Little red Corvette
Baby, you're much too fast
Little red Corvette
Need to find a love that's gonna last, hey hey
[Chorus]
Little red Corvette
Honey, you got to slow down (Got to slow down)
Little red Corvette
'Cause if you don't, you're gonna run your little red Corvette right in the ground
(Little red Corvette)
Right down to the ground (Honey, you got to slow down)
You, you, you got to slow down
(Little red Corvette)
You're movin' much too fast, too fast
Need to find a love that's gonna last
[Breakdown]
Girl, you got an ass like I never seen, ow!
And the ride
I say the ride is so smooth, you must be a limousine
Ow!
[Chorus]
Baby, you're much too fast
Little red Corvette
You need a love, you need a love that's, uh, that's gonna last
(Little red Corvette)
[Chorus]
Babe, you got to slow down (You got to slow down)
Little red Corvette
'Cause if you don't, 'cause if you don't
You're gonna run your body right into the ground (Right into the ground)
Right into the ground (Right into the ground)
Right into the ground (Right into the ground)
Little red Corvette