Where's Your Car Debbie?

Album: Are You Satisfied? (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The Tunbridge Wells garage rock duo Soft Play comprise drummer Isaac Holman and guitarist Laurie Vincent. The pair share the vocals. This song, their debut single, was released through Fonthill Records. It finds the band lost in local woods, trying to find their friend Debbie's car, scared that they're going to get attacked by Bigfoot.

    The story, Holman insisted to the Kent Courier, is real, as is friend-of-a-friend Debbie. "We had agreed to walk Debbie back to her car and the song is about being very, very scared of bumping into Bigfoot," he explained.
  • Apparently, Holman and Vincent aren't speaking to Debbie any more. "She really let us down when we were filming the video," Holman explained to NME. "She was going to play Debbie but she just didn't turn up."
  • The duo went by the name Slaves when this song was released, a reference to their working-class roots and tedious jobs they held. They vociferously defended the name amid criticism it was insensitive to those affected by slavery, at least until 2022 when they did an about face and changed it to Soft Play. "In this day and age we believe it is very important that people change and make improvements no matter how far down the line they are," they wrote in a statement.

Comments: 2

  • Susannah Ford-crush from Tunbridge WellsYes, Evie from England, lots of people will definitely know who produced this song.
  • Evie from EnglandDoes anybody know who produced this song?
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. Televangelists

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. TelevangelistsSong Writing

When televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart took on rockers like Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica, the rockers retaliated. Bono could even be seen mocking the preachers.

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Maria Muldaur

Maria MuldaurSongwriter Interviews

The "Midnight At The Oasis" singer is an Old Time gal. She talks about her jug band beginnings and shares a Dylan story.

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin Popoff

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.