Those were Glory Days !!
Muscle cars, great music, pretty girls with big hair and mini-skirts
Posted on 01/27/2026 2:17:18 PM PST by nickcarraway
It’s one of the most iconic songs in all of R&B, particularly if you’re considering the version done by Wilson Pickett. The story of “Mustang Sally” contains several twists and turns, with several famous people and places involved.
Because Pickett delivered such an amazing performance of the song in 1966, many people believe that he was the original artist. But “Mustang Sally” actually originated with another R&B performer, one whose failure to keep up with the car trends of the day led to this lasting hit.
It Was Almost “Continental” Sally
Mack Rice, the artist who wrote and first recorded “Mustang Sally”, had a connection to Wilson Pickett before this song was even in existence. Both men performed for a time in a vocal group known as The Falcons. Rice was looking to establish himself as a solo act, and “Mustang Sally” turned out to be the ideal vehicle (pardon the pun) for him to do so.
He wrote the song after an encounter with the singer Della Reese, whom younger audiences might know for her long stretch on the show Touched By An Angel. Reese was planning to buy a Lincoln Continental for one of her band members. But the band member in question preferred a Mustang.
Considering that the Mustang was a relatively new creation (1964 was the first model year) at that time, it’s perhaps understandable that Rice hadn’t even heard of it. When he saw a picture of the car on a billboard, it inspired him to get writing. He originally called the song “Mustang Mama”.
Pickett’s Power
Rice included a middle section (the “ride, Sally, ride” part) that he partially based on an old nursery rhyme. None other than Aretha Franklin suggested the name change for the song, basing it on the fact that Rice was already using the name Sally in the lyrics. The version of “Mustang Sally” done by Rice did well on the R&B charts in 1965.
Wilson Pickett came into the picture when he heard Rice performing the song on a bill that they shared one night. Pickett wanted to do his own version of the song. To make it happen, he headed to record the track in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, at FAME Studios, which was starting to make a name for itself because of the excellent house band.
With that band behind him providing an irrepressible groove, Pickett sank his teeth into the song for all it was worth. Grunting and screaming, he delivered a bravura performance. The song hit the Top 25 in 1966. But the impact “Mustang Sally” has made on the music world throughout the years far outweighs its chart performance.
Behind the Lyrics of “Mustang Sally”
“Mustang Sally” makes the equation between vehicular speed and sexual endeavors like many other songs before and since. The narrator wants her to “slow your Mustang down,” likely because she’s been driving away from him. “You been running all over the town now,” Pickett warns. “I guess I’ll have to put your flat feet on the ground.”
He goes on to explain that he bought the girl the titular vehicle. But now that she has a handle on operating it, he’s no longer part of the equation. “Now you come around signifying a woman,” he complains. “You don’t wanna let me ride.”
You have to give credit to Mack Rice for creating the raw material of “Mustang Sally”. But without Wilson Pickett and those ace musicians, that classic track might never have emerged from first gear.
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
In the overactive youth years of males, the girl herself may have been treated like a titular vehicle.
Those were Glory Days !!
Muscle cars, great music, pretty girls with big hair and mini-skirts
“Mustang Sally” works. I don’t know that “Camaro Sally” would have had the same appeal.
Paul Revere and the Raiders doing “Kicks” on American Bandstand or Shindig. Good days.
Here’s a YT movie documentary link about FAME and
Muscle Shoals - one of my all time favorite movies
which I discovered by accident on a business trip
to northern Alabama.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKmGUIM1uAI
I will never forget watching my now hubby and his friend break out in song when this came on the jukebox at our local bar. Two super scruffy white guys, and they were just belting it out. It was super sweet and completely hilarious!
except that’s not a Mustang, looks like an early 70s Hillman Avenger, AKA Plymouth Cricket
Thank you very much for the film link. Sampled a little. Will watch it soon.
Sorry - I didn’t notice there was a car behind that girl.....
Tells the story. Pickett was a trip. He didn't know what to think about those funky white boy Swampers.
Wilson Pickett - Hey Jude (w/ Duane Allman)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y8Q2PATVyI
The Dickens you say!
That's interesting to know. My maternal grandma was born during President Grover Cleveland's first term, and my paternal grandma was born during the presidency of Benjamin Harrison.
The Cricket doesn’t have a fuel cap on the rear fender.
"Mustang Sally" came out before the Camaro. However, the Camaro ads tried to make the car sound groovy and boss, with a chorus crooning to a rock beat, "the Camaro will drive you absolutely mod!"
They were on Where The Action Is too. I use to rush home from school to catch Dark Shadows followed by Where the Action Is. Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon did the theme. Freddy was a rocker.
Yes, quite the rocking song for that time period. I was about 16 when it came out.
They competed in the NW with the Kingsmen. They both released Louie Louie. Kingsmen had the hit. I was in the 5th or 6th grade at the time. Great era for music and garage bands. If your dad had room in his garage, you were in the band regardless of talent.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.