The Corvette Song, otherwise known as “The One I Loved Back Then” was written by Gary Gentry and performed by well known country music artist George Jones. The song was released in 1985 on Jones’ album “Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes”. The song, when released in the same year as a single, made it to the number 3 position on the Billboard Magazine’s “Hot Country Singles” chart.
George Jones owned a ’78 Corvette, which he had specially painted in a Corvette Dark Brown on the lower part of the body, with Corvette Light Beige on the top half. These were two official colours available in 1978. He wanted to have this colour scheme because he liked the Pace Car look. The Corvette was honoured as the pace car for the 1978 Indy 500, prompting Chevrolet to release a number of replicas. These cars were painted in two distinct tones of silver – dark on top and light on the lower half of the car. Jones’ car now finds its home in the National Corvette Museum, being acquired in 2020. It is the first celebrity car to be actually owned by the museum, although there have been quite a few borrowed ones on display over the years.
The song explores the similarities between beautiful women and beautiful sporty cars, like the Corvette. The narrator and his girlfriend are out cruising in his Corvette, and they stop at a convenience store (the Quick Sack) for some supplies.
The old guy in the shop stares out at the Corvette and says he had one just like her in 1963. But what he says is not what it seems. You’ll need to listen to the song to find out the real story.
“Oh, she was hotter than a two dollar pistol,
She was the fastest thing around,
Long and lean, every young man’s dream,
She turned every head in town.”
While being interviewed on a country music station in 1987, Jones confirmed to the interviewer that owning his Corvette was a reason he recorded “The Corvette Song”, Jones replied “Oh, absolutely”.