Songfacts®:

• The Ford Thunderbird is a classic American car that evokes adventure and romance. It's a key prop in this song, which tells the story of a man hitting the road with his girl.
  
  "I kind of was inspired by a couple of things: the great big automotive machinery that was America in the '30s, '40s and '50s, from Henry Ford on, and then I mention Willy Loman, the character from Arthur Miller's Death Of A Salesman," John Hiatt explained to Glide. "A bit of a dream and a bit of a ride all kind of wrapped up together, as it would be, since we're human beings; the heartbreak of it all. I like that idea, that it don't get any better than a Thunderbird."
• Most John Hiatt lyrics are fictional, but this bit comes from his real life:
  
  My daddy was a salesman
  My brother was too
  I would sell anything
  Just to try to stay with you
  
  Hiatt's father had a business selling cabinets and lockers, which John's brother took over. John considers himself a salesman as well, in the sense that he's selling his music and tickets to his shows.
• The song is part of John Hiatt's Master Of Disaster album, which was produced by Jim Dickinson, a guitarist who played on lots of sessions - you can hear him on "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones and "Midnight At The Oasis" by Maria Muldaur.
  
  John Hiatt was a tinderbox in the '70s and early '80s when he was dealing with alcoholism and making a name for himself with his music, but by the time this song was released in 2005 he had settled in with a core group of fans that consistently bought his albums and came to his shows. Kind of the sweet spot for many musicians.