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'89 Reliant K

from Are You Committed by vonHummer

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about

'89 Reliant K. At one particular low point in my checkered history, I was getting by without an automobile, and not minding too terribly much. The greatest thing about not having a car is, however, is that it inspires people to give you theirs, and so it was that I was threatened with receiving an '89 Reliant K car, the pride of Chrysler at one distant time (although the Reliant was a Plymouth, technically.)
I wrote this song trying to get happy about the model. It's all very well to write a rockin' song for a little red Corvette, a T-Bird, or pink Cadillac, but who'll sing one for the K models? The LeBaron? The Aries? The Dodge 400??
The deal fell through for me, but this song more than makes up for what I missed, with its pride of lowdown living and happy drifter-isms.
I updated a few lyrics here and there over time. "Thunder down the I-5..." was originally "...thunder down the toll road..." but in my move here to the Northwest, I decided to localize things, as there are—blessedly!—no toll roads out here anywhere. Also, adding a "the" to the front of an interstate is a purely West Coast thing.
The scratch loop on the song is nice, very reminiscent of an old engine running along out of tune, and the drums punctuate things in a kind of lopsided, transmission-just-kicked-in way. The riff is yearning and offset by the straight-ahead verses and choruses. I'm particularly proud of the bridge, as it sounds to me very Lindsay Buckingham-ish, and the awful rhyming of "upholstery" with "compulsory," for which I apologize in advance.

lyrics

'89 Reliant K
(vonHummer)
I got an '89 Reliant K/Top of the line/I'm gonna thunder down the I-5/Doing 59/And if I aint rebellion personified/I am at least defiant/Cruisin' steady in a box of off-white lightning/'89 Reliant...
I got the windows rolled down all the way/Hair in my face/Nothing but minivans, pickups and SUVs/All over the place/They sorta sneer as they pass me on the right/Forgive me, ye fastlane giants/For cruisin' steady in a box of off-white lightning/'89 Reliant...
Won't be long til I find my true love and we/Steam the windows and we stain the upholstery/We'll cruise from one remote local to another/Deaf and dumb from loud music which will be compulsory...
On the outside/Life is cold and hard/But inside it's cool and pliant/Together we can pop it open like the hood of my/'89 Reliant...
I got an '89 Reliant K/And an empty heart/Don't know a single soul in town, but this girl's got a jumper cable/Well that's a start/ I made a deal with these streets I leak oil upon/And I'm keeping up my end/By cruisin' steady in a box of off-white lightning/'89 Reliant...
ps/pb/Fully automatic/I don't need to shift/You look as low-down as I do, Shortcake/Can I give you a lift?
I got an '89 Reliant K...I got an '89 Reliant K...

credits

from Are You Committed, released August 27, 2010
vonHummer: vocals, bass, drums.

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vonHummer Portland, Oregon

vonHummer is a Portland music/cable access legend whose career spanned from Fall of 2001 to Fall of 2011, during which he recorded a hundred or so songs for use in his absurdist show (and feature film) and played only a handful of concerts. Currently retired, his work shines on for the ages. Or will he someday return...? ... more

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