Mustang Sally

In Mustang Sally the song moves like a brand-new car: the R&B rhythm stretches with that playful cadence that makes the body unable to stay still. The lyrics, simple yet catchy, tell the story of a woman who asks for a car and then leaves, leaving the narrator with the feeling that something slipped away. But what really captivates is not just the anecdote, but how the groove sways between mocking and irresistible, as if the song itself knew it was about to become a classic of the dive bars.

The song was born in 1965, when Mack Rice wrote it as an inside joke for Della Reese’s band, inspired by her director’s whim for a Ford Mustang. It was initially called Mustang Mama, but Aretha Franklin suggested changing it to Mustang Sally, a title that sounded more direct and catchy. Rice’s original version reached number 15 on the R&B charts in 1965, but it was Wilson Pickett’s 1966 rendition — included on The Wicked Pickett — that took it to number 23 and gave it that anthemic air that still sounds fresh decades later. Buddy Guy recorded it in 1991 for Damn Right, I've Got the Blues, proving the song transcends eras and styles. It also appeared in the soundtrack of The Commitments and even in an episode of Glee, where Roderick, Quinn Fabray, Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez put their own spin on it.