If you want a song that perfectly encapsulates the 1970s, you can do no better than today’s classic song of the day, “Chevy Van.” Over the course of the song the protagonist, who is driving a van manufactured by the Chevrolet company, picks up a girl along the highway, they make love in the back of said van, and when they’re done he drops her off in some small town. That’s as sexually liberated ’70s as you can get, man.
It’s all there in the lyrics:
Her young face was like that of an angel
Her long legs were tanned and brown
Better keep your eyes on the road, son
Better slow this vehicle down
‘Cause like a princess she was laying there
Moonlight dancing off her hair
She woke up and took me by the hand
She’s gonna love me in my Chevy van and that’s all right with me
“Chevy Van” was written and performed by Sammy Johns, with instrumental backing by members of the Wrecking Crew, including Dean Parks on guitar, Larry Knechtel on keyboards, Chuck Rainey on bass, and Jim Gordon on drums. Released as a single in 1973, it went nowhere. Re-released in January of 1975, it was a hit, peaking at #5 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.
Sammy Johns hailed from Charlotte, North Carolina, and played around that area and then Atlanta, where he moved in 1973. He signed with GRC, and that was the label that first released “Chevy Van.” That was his only hit, making “Chevy Van” a true one-hit wonder. Johns later became a full-time songwriter, writing primarily for Nashville artists such as Waylon Jennings and Sammy Kershaw. He wrote #1 country songs for John Conlee (“Common Man”) and Conway Twitty (“Desperado Love”).
Sammy Johns passed away in 2013, age 66.
