"Chevy Van" is a song by American singer and songwriter Sammy Johns, written and sung by Johns. The song was originally released in 1973 by GRC Records on Johns debut album, which was also released in 1973. The instrumental backing was played by Los Angeles-based session musicians from the Wrecking Crew.[2]
In 1975, the song experienced success across the United States and Canada reaching #5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, eventually achieving one million sells.[3] It was played primarily on Top 40 radio stations during the 1970s; later re-recordings were done in a country vein.
It was later re-released in 1975. The song details how an unnamed male driver picks up an unnamed female, who then eventually seduces him into a one-night stand in the back of a Chevrolet Van. At the end he drops her off "in a town that was so small, you could throw a rock from end to end. A dirt road main street, she walked off in bare feet", and laments "It's a shame I won't be passing through again". The song struck a chord with listeners in the sexually liberated 1970s when Johns released it. The popularity of the song is also reflective of the vansploitation films of the period. The original 1973 version is featured in the 1977 film The Van. On May 5, 1975, the song was certified gold by the RIAA.[4] The song is Johns only hit.
Legacy
In recent years, country artists Eric Church, Waylon Jennings, and Sammy Kershaw and rock artists Joe Pernice and Fu Manchu have each released covers of the song. Unlike Sammy Johns's original chorus that opens "Cause like a princess she was laying there...", the aforementioned artists sing "Cause like a picture she was laying there..."[citation needed]
