There’s No Room for Backseat Drivers in John Baumann’s ‘Gold El Camino’

Any way you look at it, there’s just something about cars, country music, and summertime. The je ne sais quoi of wind-whipped hair, the progressive heat of the sun on your left forearm, and a Ray-Ban view that paints the world a benevolent shade of amber isn’t something that can be conveyed by words alone. Luckily for us, though, John Baumann has managed to capture it in a song.

Lyrically, his new single “Gold El Camino” taps into the heart of what makes music so powerful – its freeze-frame level of detail places you squarely in the driver’s seat, with a sense of freedom and nostalgia riding shotgun. “I got a Navajo bead seat cover on the bench/underneath I got a crowbar and a metal torque wrench/initials on the VIN inside of the door/0-60 in 9.4.” Inviting guitar licks form an undercurrent that carries the tune along like the buttery feel of Goodyears on fresh pavement. Some might even say that you can feel that power glide.  

That being said, it’d be a complete miscarriage of justice if you only take this song seriously. Baumann mixes his considerable talent with just the right amount of campiness for this single, and to that we say: hell yeah, brother.

Song Credits: Dwight Baker (Production/Engineer), Sean Giddings (Piano/BGV), Jedd Hughes (Electrics), JJ Johnson (Drums), Matt Slagle (Bass), John Baumann (Songwriting/Acoustic/Vocals), Dave McNair (Mastering).

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