(The Hit Hammer is where I'm reviewing each #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. Starting from when the chart started in 1958 and eventually working my way to the present. To see my inspiration and more information about this blog, please CLICK HERE)
Rose Royce - "Car Wash"
Hit Number 1: January 29, 1977
Stay at Number 1: 1 Week
Norman Whitfield, the sometimes unsung hero for some of Motown's greatest hits, was treating himself to some Kentucky fried chicken one night. (This was in the days before KFC was officially founded) Something that was annoying Whitfield though while he ate his chicken was that he was tasked with coming up with songs for a soundtrack of a movie titled Car Wash. This was something Whitfield didn't care to do, but only agreed to do it because he thought it was just what a band he recently signed needed. This band, Rose Royce, had been touring with Motown artist Edwin Starr, who gave us "War" in 1970, with Starr introducing them to Whitfield. Whitfield was totally willing to help get them on the map, but how do you come up with a soundtrack for a movie about a bunch of people working at a car wash? Whitfield ate his chicken while watching a basketball game, and somehow in that moment he finally came up with something. He wrote this new song down on a bag containing the chicken.
This new song was to be the main song of the movie's soundtrack, and that song, of course, is "Car Wash." The movie is simply about a bunch of cool guys working at a laid back car wash, and the song, to its credit, reflects that. You might not ever get rich, but at least it's better than digging a ditch. On top of that, there's no telling who you might meet. The whole vibe I get from "Car Wash" is nothing but "cool," which is the last thing anyone would expect from working at a place like a car wash. All you do is scrub other people's cars down for a living; nothing real exciting about that. Yet, the movie and the song make it exciting. They make it sound like the car wash is the real place to work at. They make it seem like the coolest place on Earth.
What helps the song seem that way is in the music. The hand clap rhythm at the beginning has been immortalized, and will likely be played around the world at sporting events until the end of time. The bass line kicks in, along with that familiar guitar stab. Finally the beat drops, and we're thrust into this disco hailstorm, almost like we're being hosed down by the car wash workers ourselves. Credit should really be given to Rose Royce lead singer Gwen Dickey too. She delivers the song in that same cool tone that the rest of the song has. She makes the car wash sound even more inviting. I've got to hand it to all parties involved, it's not easy to pull something like this off. The fact Whitfield was able to turn a stupid little song about working at a car wash into a real convincing disco smash is outstanding. And then there's Rose Royce, who while they were still a short-lived project, still managed to help convince us that the car wash is where everyone belongs. Everyone is welcome there, and everyone is cool there. It's probably not at the fore front for disco bangers, but it was still a key part of the disco era.
Also, I probably won't be able to hear this song again without thinking of fried chicken.
GRADE: 7/10
IN POP CULTURE:
Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott made their own version of "Car Wash" for the 2004 movie Shark Tale. Here's the video from the movie that went with that:
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