Bitchin' Camaro

Album: Big Lizard in my Backyard (1985)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Like most of The Dead Milkmen's work, "Bitchin' Camaro" is primarily written to be a comedic song. The lyrics were penned by Rodney Linderman, and the rest of the band wrote the music.

    The song starts off with an extended bit of banter that works as a satirical characterization of teenagers with derivative tastes but inflated self-images. The second half of the song, which is sung by the imaginary owner of the titular Camaro, follows in similar thematic footsteps. It mocks somebody who owns an unimpressive car but believes it to be edgy and impressive, and uses this as justification for engaging in stupid, reckless behavior. You know that guy.
  • Several of the lines in the wry banter that makes up the first half of the song refer directly to The Doors' song, "Love Me Two Times." Singer Joe Genaro puts a darkly comic spin on the original chorus, replacing the line "Love me two times, I'm goin' away" with "Love me two times, 'cause I've got AIDS." The song goes on to reference the lead singer of The Doors, noting that "that was a pretty good Jim Morrison impression." This section is clearly farcical, as they talk about driving to the Bahamas, which as they point out, are islands.
  • Although the song focuses on the humorous boasts of a Camaro-owning roustabout, nobody in the band has actually owned a Camaro.
  • The line "Tony Orlando and Dawn" refers to the pop music act of the same name, a duo who was popular during the '70s.
  • The dialogue at the beginning of the song is improvised, making for great fun at live shows. However, since he has to voice lines for two imaginary, conversing characters, singer Joe Genardo says performances of the song leave him feeling a bit "schizophrenic."
  • Big Lizard in my Backyard was the first album released by The Dead Milkmen, and debuted their crass, fast, comedic style. "Bitchin' Camaro" received considerable airplay on college radio and, while the band didn't officially release any singles from the album, this was enough to build up a fanbase for the group.

Comments: 1

  • John from GeorgiaI've noticed a couple of your "facts" suggest that Joe "Jack Talcum" Genaro vocalized both parts of the intro to this song. To the contrary, I believe that Rodney "Amadeus Anonymous" Linderman was the primary contributor to the song, both in its intro and its main body.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Corey Hart

Corey HartSongwriter Interviews

The Canadian superstar talks about his sudden rise to fame, and tells the stories behind his hits "Sunglasses At Night," "Boy In The Box" and "Never Surrender."

In The Cards

In The CardsSong Writing

Songwriters have used cards and card games to make sense of heartache, togetherness, and even Gonorrhea.

Grunge Bands Quiz

Grunge Bands QuizMusic Quiz

If the name Citizen Dick means anything to you, there's a chance you'll get some of these right.

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Greg Lake of Emerson, Lake & PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Greg talks about writing songs of "universal truth" for King Crimson and ELP, and tells us about his most memorable stage moment (it involves fireworks).

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Rock Revenge Songs

Rock Revenge SongsMusic Quiz

John Lennon, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are some of the artists who have written revenge songs. Do you know who they wrote them about?