The Story of ‘Vehicle’ and the Friendly Stranger in the Black Sedan
‘200 Greatest 70s Rock Songs’ Book Excerpt
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“Vehicle” was one of the biggest hits in the jazz rock era when horn bands dominated the charts. The Ides of March reached №2 in 1970 with the tune, their only hit. Singer-songwriter Jim Peterik told AXS, “We started as a British Invasion wannabe. We loved the Hollies, the Kinks, the Zombies. Our first single on Parrot, ‘You Wouldn’t Listen,’ echoed that.
“Then we became a horn band. There was a creeping influence of jazz rock coming up. We loved that first Al Kooper-Blood, Sweat & Tears album. We lived and breathed it. I started thinking of horns more in that nature.”
Peterik says that the song’s inspiration came from his attempt to impress his girlfriend, Karen. Peterik planned to earn enough money to buy a new sports car. In the meantime, he had to bide his time, driving Karen to school in his humble 1964 Plymouth Valiant.
“One day in a fit of frustration, I heard myself blurt out to her, ‘You know, all I am to you is your vehicle.’ Just then the light bulb popped up on top of my head and I thought about all the guys like me who don’t mind being taken for a ride by a beautiful girl. I said ‘See you later’ and started writing the song.”
Peterik told Classic Bands that his first attempt at the opening lyric of “Vehicle” was “I got a set of wheels pretty baby, won’t you hop inside my car?” But a lab partner in school sparked the idea for a new first line.
“He showed me this pamphlet that was circulating through the school. It had a little cartoon. It was an anti-drug pamphlet. This little cartoon of a friendly stranger and beware of this guy. I went home and said, ‘I got it. I’m the friendly stranger in the black sedan. Won’t you hop inside my car?’
“I knew that that was magic. The rhythm of the words, the whole thing, boom! Went to rehearsal that night, worked out the song. As soon as I heard that horn riff by my guys, the Ides of March, I had goose bumps. I knew this is something really special.”
David Clayton-Thomas, who replaced Kooper in Blood, Sweat & Tears, told Rock Cellar, “I think ‘Vehicle’ is one of the best records of the era. As a matter of fact, I have relatives of mine that came up to me at the time and said, ‘Hey, I heard your new record: “I’m the friendly stranger in the black sedan . . .”’ I said, ‘No, no, that wasn’t me. That wasn’t us.’”
Frank Mastropolo is the author of the 200 Greatest Rock Songs series and Fillmore East: The Venue That Changed Rock Music Forever.
