The Positronic Mechanicals · 1967

In Love with His Car

Name: In Love with His Car
Description: A woman is jealous of her boyfriend's love for his car, then falls in love with it herself, exploring human-machine obsession in 1960s culture.

A woman is jealous of her boyfriend's love for his car, then falls in love with it herself, exploring human-machine obsession in 1960s culture.

Era: The Positronic Mechanicals
Year: 1967
Format: Live recording
Collected by: Neutronix Industries

Lyrics

Oh, I got a story to tell, baby
About a guy who's not quite like the rest, no, no
He's in love... with something shiny, chrome, and fast
Oh, I know what you think, baby
But it's not me, honey
Oh, here we go

He talks to her all night
Tells her secrets under the starlite
While I sit alone, baby
In the shadow of his perfect lady
I thought love was a two-way street
But he's got his eyes on the leather seat
Oh honey, I can't compete, no-no-no
No, I can't compete

He's in love with his car, I swear
Spends more time in the driver's chair
He polishes her shine, while I wait in line
For a little love that ain't mine
No-no-no-no
Oh, she drives him wild
But baby, this drivin' me crazy

But baby, this drivin' me crazy
I think I'm going crazy.
Give it some brass, girls!

He's in love with his car, can't you see?
Engine's roaring, he's wild and free
He tunes her up, lets her scream
While I'm chasing a broken dream
Oh honey, I can't compete, no-no-no
No, I can't compete

He's in love with his car, I swear
Spends more time in the driver's chair
He polishes her shine, while I wait in line
For a little love that ain't mine
No no no no
Oh, she drives him wild
But baby, this drivin' me crazy

Now, don't get me wrong, honey
I ain't jealous of that atomic queen
But when you're talkin' to her instead of me
Well, it's kinda... obscene!

Honey, I'm slippin', I'm slippin', right outside

Under the moon's soft glow tonight
While he slept in dreams so tight
I took his keys, heart racing fast, I couldn't hide
Slipped behind the wheel of that shiny ride
Felt the engine purr
And came alive inside.
I think I'm in love, baby

Now I'm in love with his car, can't deny
Engine's roaring, I'm flying high
He woke to find us gone, oh my
Guess he knows now the reason why
Oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh, she drives me wild

Ladies and gentlemen, how about that sensational performance? Let's give a big round of applause for The Atomic Songbirds!

Let's hear it one more time for the band!

I'm in love with this car, can't you see?
Engine's roaring, I'm wild and free
I will polish her shine, while he waits in line
For a little love that ain't mine
Give us some brass, Jenny

Thank you for joining us tonight here at The Stardust Lounge. Stick around, folks, 'cause we've got plenty more swingin' tunes to keep your toes tappin' all night long!

Background & Story

"In Love with His Car" tells the story of a woman competing for her boyfriend's affection with his prized automobile. Set in the chrome-obsessed car culture of the 1960s, the song plays as a comedic love triangle, but its twist ending transforms the joke into something more unsettling: after complaining about her boyfriend's obsession, the woman steals his car and falls in love with it herself.

The song is presented as a live performance at The Stardust Lounge, complete with audience patter and a host's sign-off, placing it in the club scene of the Positronic Mechanicals era. The live setting adds warmth and humor, but also frames the story as entertainment, something the audience laughs at while missing the deeper point.

In The Atomic Songbirds' universe, the car represents the earliest stage of human-machine obsession. Before people fell in love with androids, they fell in love with automobiles, machines that offered freedom, power, and a sense of identity. The song traces this trajectory to its logical conclusion: if we can love a car, we can love any machine, and the boundaries between healthy appreciation and unhealthy obsession become impossible to maintain.

Themes & Analysis

"In Love with His Car" examines how human obsession with machines escalates. The boyfriend's devotion to his car is played for laughs, but when the girlfriend catches the same fever, the comedy turns into a mirror: she judges his obsession only to succumb to the same thing. Nobody in the song learns anything.

This cycle of judgment and imitation reflects a broader pattern in human-technology relationships. We mock those who seem too attached to their devices while scrolling through our own phones. The song warns that machine obsession is contagious and self-reinforcing, and that the line between using a tool and being used by one is thinner than we think.

Fun Facts

01
The song is presented as a live recording at The Stardust Lounge, a fictional venue that appears throughout The Atomic Songbirds' lore as their primary performance space.
02
The twist ending, where the girlfriend steals the car and falls in love with it herself, was inspired by real stories of 'car widows' in 1960s American culture.
03
The host's sign-off ('keep your toes tappin' all night long!') became a recurring tagline in The Atomic Songbirds' live shows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 'In Love with His Car' about?+

A woman complains that her boyfriend loves his car more than her, only to steal it one night and fall in love with it herself. It's a comedic exploration of how human obsession with machines is contagious, tracing the pattern from 1960s car culture to modern technology dependence.

What does the car represent in the song?+

The car represents humanity's earliest form of machine obsession. Before we fell in love with smartphones and AI assistants, we fell in love with automobiles. The song suggests that once we cross the boundary of emotional attachment to machines, we cannot easily return.

Back to All Lyrics