I can remember driving my Chevelle convertible on a Friday night in search of the busiest hangout or the next street race with a Beach Boy’s tape playing songs like “Shut Down,” “Little Deuce Coupe” and “Fun, Fun, Fun.”

These songs and many more have carried a legacy with them that I doubt we will ever see again. The fact is that, while we still hear many of them at cruise nights, car shows and other events, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see songs like these pop up ever again.

Times certainly have changed; how can you look cool in a Honda Odyssey playing “Highway Star” by Deep Purple or “Little GTO” by Ronnie and the Daytonas? Granted, we still have a few modern rides that are still cool like the Mustang, Corvette, Challenger and the Camaro, but can you see Justin Beiber singing about his bad ass BOSS 302? Yeah, not likely.

When tunes like “Little Cobra,” “Little Old Lady from Pasadena,” and *gasp* even “Little Honda” were aired, they helped sell cars (well, and Honda motorcycles). How do you write a song about a Prius or a Smart car?

There is no better feeling than pulling up to the gas pump with my Plymouth GTX, blasting an old ’60’s car song and watching as everyone walks up to admire and remember a lost era where cars were cool and the music made you feel like you were on top of the world.

Remember the famous lyrics from “Born to Run:” “Beyond the palace, HEMI-powered drones scream down the boulevard, girls comb their hair in rearview mirrors and the boys try to look so hard.”

That word “HEMI” stuck in every guy’s mind, so let’s keep it alive and let’s hear those great songs of yesterday today!