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The car holds a special place within the realms of popular culture and as a result they've been sung about constantly over the years. Here are ten tunes with an automotive bent....

Little Red Corvette - Prince

Taken from the Purple One's 1983 album “1999.” Whether this is a tribute to the talents of those good people at Chevrolet or, in fact, just one big inuendo is anyone's guess. But with lines like “Move over baby / Gimme the keys / I'm gonna try 2 tame your little red love machine” the smart money says it's not actually about a car at all. Don't expect to see Prince on Top Gear any time soon.

Mustang Sally - Wilson Picket

Picket's 1966 soul classic tells the tale of a young lady (called Sally) who loves to ride around town in swanky Ford Mustang, the ultimate American sports car. Word has it that he wanted to call the song Austin Allegro Sally but he couldn't get it to scan.

Little Deuce Coupe - Beach Boys

The Beach Boys liked songs about transport. Little Honda was one, and of course there was Fun, Fun, Fun which told of a girl enjoying herself until her dad took away her Ford T-bird. But 1963's Little Deuce Coup was the one song they did directly named after a car – a 1930s Ford, to be precise, but one popular with the Hot Rod brigade.

Mercedes Benz - Janis Joplin

While rebelling against materialism was the name of the game for anyone in and around the San Francisco counter culture of the late 60s, one of its leading lights broke the mould in 1971 with this little ditty about Teutonic automotive excellence which has come to be remembered as on of Joplin's all-time classics.

Cars- Gary Numan

A pulsating slice of 80s synth pop that was sampled two decades later by the Sugababes. The song was inspired after Newman found himself on the wrong end of an incident of road rage in London.

Drive - The Cars

This one gets in on tow counts as both song and band name are fitting. The song duly drove into the Number One spot on the Adult Contemporary charts in 1984 and then became synonymous with footage of a famine-ravaged Ethiopia just as Sir Bob Geldof stepped in to save the day. REM also have a song of the same name.

Drive My Car - The Beatles

A Lennon-McCartney classic from 1966. McCartney later explained that the phrase “Drive My Car” is an old blues euphemism for gettin' it on. Wonder if the metaphor continues when you get into the realms of what kind of car as there's a big difference between a Jag and a Morris Minor...!

Greased Lightnin' - John Travolta

From the 1978 movie Grease. It talks about shocks, pistons, plugs, overhead lifters, some four barrel quads, fuel injection cut-offs, chrome plated rods and duel muffler twins. You basically need a degree in engineering to understand any of it.

Pink Cadillac - Natalie Cole

Written for young Nat by none other than Bruce Springsteen. It secured a Top 5 hit for Natalie Cole in 1988. The Boss vetoed the first attempt to cover the song which came from Bette Middler in 1983.

The Wild Rover

Some say this Irish folk song, covered by the Dubliners and the Pogues among others, is a centuries-old ode to drinking. However it is in fact about an out of control English car builtin Coventry. And if you believe that you'll believe anything...!