CMA Fest, Chevrolet and Cars Driving Song Themes

(A portion of my travel expenses were covered by Chevrolet but I was not compensated otherwise.  As always, my opinion remains my own.) 

Odds are you’ve heard of the CMA Fest–the massive country music festival that draws in 300,000 people to Nashville each year, or “Music City”.  Performers take the stage one after the other to thrill fans all day and night.  I attended as a guest of Chevrolet this year and can tell you, this is one of those events you really should attend at least once in your life (all pictures and videos you see here are those I took while watching from club level seats around the 50 yard line).  In one four hour period, you might hear from six of the best country music acts performing today! The CMA Fest is sometimes televised, too, and this year’s broadcast will be shown on ABC at 8 pm ET on Aug. 5.

While listening to the songs, you are likely to hear all kinds of references to cars, but Chevy may lead the list when it comes to sheer numbers of songs with lyrics specifically bringing up the brand.

It could have something to do with the fact that Chevrolet was the first to offer an AM/FM radio as an option in a vehicle.  It was the ’63 Corvette.  Who knew how important that add-on would become on long road trips?

In 1970, Chevy offered the 8-track Stereo as an option.  And who knew that would be so fleeting?

The Corvette was cutting edge again in 1990 when Delco-Bose Stereo Systems with Compact Disc Players became available (is it me, or does that seem like just yesterday?!).

2003 brought the XM Satellite Radio option to the masses in the Impala.

And in 2012, the Volt brought us the MyLink infotainment system.

Now, 2015 models offer the OnStar 4G LTE which will be serving as hotspots around the country.

But I digress.

Back to the songs.

Did you know more than 1000 songs mention Chevrolet in the lyrics? A thousand!

From Don McClean’s “American Pie” to Prince’s “Little Red Corvette”, it’s easy to think of a least a few of the more famous ones.

And they’re not all country, but you can bet the majority of the songs mentioning the brand certainly are.  Even recent tunes, like “Automatic” with Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood’s “Don’t Forget to Remember Me”.

In some cases, those songs go hand in hand with Chevy advertising campaigns.  It’s tough to hear Bob Seger’s “Like a Rock” and not picture a Chevy truck.

Sometimes, it’s those commercials that springboard the songs onto the charts.  For example, the band Fun. skyrocketed to charts after the Chevrolet Sonic commercial featured “We Are Young” in its Super Bowl XLVI ad.  Literally in the week following, it went from 32 to number 1 on iTunes downloads.

Chevy is actually the “Official Ride of Country Music” and has partnered with Country Music Awards for more than 18 years.

Its presence at the CMA Fest each year is massive, including the “Chevy Stage”.

CMA Fest is the largest Country Music festival in the US with 300-thousand people descending on Nashville (Music City) over several days straight of music performances.

See some of this year’s performances by clicking the links below.

You might even hear a reference or two to Chevrolet in many of them.

[hana-code-insert name=’something bad’ /]

[hana-code-insert name=’red wagon’ /]

[hana-code-insert name=’automatic’ /]

[hana-code-insert name=’dirt road’ /]

[hana-code-insert name=’if I die young’ /]

[hana-code-insert name=’better dig two’ /]

[hana-code-insert name=’done’ /]

[hana-code-insert name=’damn rock and roll’ /]

[hana-code-insert name=’creepin’ /]