The 70's van culture was a thing. Very customized vans with cool paint jobs or custom murals. Basically rolling bedrooms. This song quite nicely captured the essence of the vibe at the time.
@rogerdodger6025 Жыл бұрын
I remember the airbrushed artwork on the vans.
@kenharness7430 Жыл бұрын
Don't forget the shag carpet
@jeanstrickland2445 Жыл бұрын
Yes they were 😉 I remember a guy that had a custom van it was called the Bounty Hunter .
@sunnystormy4973 Жыл бұрын
"rolling bedrooms" xD
@kenharness7430 Жыл бұрын
@@sunnystormy4973 lmao yep
@roberttompkins6489 Жыл бұрын
He was originally from the town I now live --Gastonia, NC. When he died I saw it in the news and I went to his viewing that very night. It was a surreal experience viewing this man after passing away. Very few people were there and I couldn't help but think how popular this song was and how it was part of the fabric of our life at that time. Some say it is the most represenative song of the 70s---quite a compliment. But yet it kept running through my mind how this song affected millions in such a great way but yet so few were there to say goodbye to him and pay respect. I am glad I went to say farewell to a man I only knew through this one song----but yet a song that enriched my life, and so many others, so very much.
@markstoudenmire4935 Жыл бұрын
I knew that he was from that area of Gastonia and was somewhere close to that area when he passed. I grew up near Myrtle Beach (and am back home right now) and I remember the DJ's back in the 70's pointing out that he was from "our area". Isf he buried in Gastonia or somewhere in the surrounding area?
@roberttompkins6489 Жыл бұрын
@@markstoudenmire4935 My understanding is that he is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Belmont, NC----- which is a small town in the same county (Gaston County). His viewing was also in Belmont.
@markstoudenmire4935 Жыл бұрын
@@roberttompkins6489 I assumed he was probably buried somewhere locally. Glad you had the opportunity to attend his service.
@roberttompkins6489 Жыл бұрын
@@markstoudenmire4935 In nearby Belmont, NC.
@cmholmes1067 Жыл бұрын
This song and chevy vans was sooo 70’s, brings back the memories!
@bradsullivan2495 Жыл бұрын
Chevrolet actually gave him a customized van in 1975 because the song became so popular and obviously helped give the company some free advertising. He originally wrote it while he was trying to buy a van, but didn't have the money. Amber would be interested to know that another musician's Ford Econoline van was going to be the inspiration, but Johns changed the song to Chevy because it "just sounded better."
@sallyphillips9175 Жыл бұрын
Aww sweet!
@almostfm Жыл бұрын
I'm a Ford guy, but "Chevy" fits the meter of the song perfectly.
@spankynater4242Ай бұрын
Yeah, “we made love in my Ford Econoline“ just doesn’t have the same vibe.
@bigsteve9279 Жыл бұрын
THE GRASSROOTS had many big hits! ‘Midnight Confessions’ ‘Two Divided by Love’ ‘Temptation Eyes’ ‘Sooner or Later’ …and more! ALL BIG HITS!
@scottromer8584 Жыл бұрын
Thank you, love the Grass Roots
@kbusby4824 Жыл бұрын
Great suggestions.
@robjewett700 Жыл бұрын
The Grass Roots are soooo under rated!
@rhondashinn4952 Жыл бұрын
@bigsteve0279 You nailed it, I do hope Jay and Amber check the group out!💃🕺🎶
@hustledude Жыл бұрын
Yes!! I love “Temptation Eyes” and “Wait a million Years”
@coreen588 Жыл бұрын
When I was 12 years old in 1973 I was in Riches department store in Lebanon New Hampshire. Chevy Van was on the radio a lot....I loved the song. Riches had the Album in thier record dept for $9.99. I saw it and begged my dad and mom to buy it for me. They did!! ❤ I am 61 years old a I still have that album to this day!! Now Chevy van is on my Spotify playlist...but nothing beat that old album..and....I live 4 miles down and old dirt road and I love it
@ruththomas4915 Жыл бұрын
Wow, that's my story!
@coreen588 Жыл бұрын
@@ruththomas4915 🤩😊
@cazgerald9471 Жыл бұрын
$9.99? That must have been the most expensive album in the entire United States during 1973.
This 1974 song is one of the most seventies songs I can think of. Y'all might not be aware how popular vans were in the seventies. People would modify them, paint sunsets and seagulls on the outside of them, have convex porthole windows installed, and deck out the inside with shag carpet, fake fur, or crushed velvet from ceiling to floor, maybe even put in a blacklight and fluorescent posters in the back. There was a van conversion brand called Good Time Vans that you'd see all the time. The nineties sitcom set in the seventies called "That Seventies Show" had an episode where the teen stars of the show go to a gathering of vans called Vanstock. That name alone made the whole scene really true to the period, referencing both Woodstock and vans.
@diane4616 ай бұрын
It was released in 1973
@mikegardner2676 ай бұрын
Recorded in 73 then released in 75.
@BillO964 Жыл бұрын
Never had a chevy van..it was a 1972 Ford Econoline. That girl is now my wife of 50 years. 😊
@georgeknox2062 Жыл бұрын
I remember the van craze. Love this song.
@gypsyrocker Жыл бұрын
That Chevy van was a dangerously FUN place to be. And that's ALL I'm saying about that. 😁 I've always loved this song, thanks for covering it! 👍
@Teresia12 Жыл бұрын
I totally agree✌️❤
@jdw5678 Жыл бұрын
Definitely a lifestyle that has gone by the wayside, due to the number of predators out there now. Not to mention the STDs. 😶
@paulsonfoster8477 ай бұрын
I had a Chevy van with stereo, bed, and carpeting throughout. I loved it. Many people had vans in the 70's with murals. So cool art! Great memories
@lt6134 Жыл бұрын
Yep. 1970s. Lots of Vans decked out with shag carpet covering the entire inside. With a custom sound system.
@markfadness9204 Жыл бұрын
"Chevy Van" peaked @ #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975.
@keithbrown76854 ай бұрын
Finally somebody got the year right. I'm sick of these people who consult their butholes for facts and then post them like they knew what they were talking about.
@jamesedens8245 Жыл бұрын
"Chevy Van" is a one hit wonder from Sammy Johns, but it's a GREAT one hit wonder.
@coachjody1971 Жыл бұрын
He had another hit top 50 common man so he's not a one hit wonder
@kpiperjr Жыл бұрын
My 70s collection consists of more than 500 songs, but every once in a while I hear one that makes me wonder how in the heck I don't have it. This is one of those. I haven't heard this song for 30 years or more, but I sure do remember it. Thank you for the reaction and new addition to the collection!
@bradparnell614 Жыл бұрын
That's about 4,000 songs less than in my 70s collection but I'll still hear one like that every now and then too but this is definitely not one. I've listened to this one quite a bit over the years.
@mikemiller3069 Жыл бұрын
Vans were huge from the 70s through the early 80s. People would customize their vans with beautiful murals/paint jobs and the interiors were customized too. They often had water beds in the back and fancy upholstery. They held van rallies and shows and had swap meets. My band played at a few van rallies back in the day. You would have been blown away by some of the artwork on these vans!
@goosesmom7926 Жыл бұрын
I still see a purple van with heart shaped windows and crazy amazing graphics on the sides occasionally… it makes me miss the crazy 70’s. It was a great time to grow up
@mattbecham597 Жыл бұрын
yeah they swapped a lot back then
@cspringer333 Жыл бұрын
When I was 22 my roommate had a Chevy van and some girl picked him up and had her way with him. They feel asleep on a road next to a Hawaii interstate and a cop woke them up. Everytime he came to see me perform I would start playing that song. Thanks for playing this. It brought back a great memory.
@wandacable3739 Жыл бұрын
Y’all are the best reaction channel on KZbin! Thank you so much for all the different genres that you listen to and allowing us to go back to some of the best times of our lives and enjoy the music with you!
@susanliltz3875 Жыл бұрын
“BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY “ By Daniel Boone is a really sweet song, bouncy!!
@MichaelBattiste Жыл бұрын
Another GREAT 70s song
@seansherrod8725 Жыл бұрын
I was 7yo when this song first came out and I completely understood EVERY LAST WORD being sung and I use to sing along with it loud and proud! Great post Great song! I love you guys so much, keep up your awesomeness!
@CliffG527 Жыл бұрын
I don't know if you guys played this from my email suggestion, but I am glad you did. Just like @bradsullivan2495 said, this song was a one-hit wonder, but it was so popular. In the early to mid 70's, custom vans with murals painted on the side were extremely popular and really decked out. This is one of my favorite songs from my early teen years!
@larrywilliams5014 Жыл бұрын
This song brings back so many great memories. It got a ton of radio play back in the day
@TheTish Жыл бұрын
Another one of my favorites from my youth. I absolutely love the harmony.
@wangofree Жыл бұрын
Oh man, it's been forever since I've heard this one. Shades of my childhood!
@bradsullivan2495 Жыл бұрын
Came out in 1973 and Sammy Johns was a one-hit wonder.
@TonyM1961 Жыл бұрын
Which is a real shame because he had real talent
@memorylane7068 Жыл бұрын
Re-released in January '75 where it climbed the charts for 17 weeks peaking at #5.
@jdw5678 Жыл бұрын
I think a good '70s tune they might want to hit that's in the same vein, also by a one-hit wonder, is "Sunshine" by Jonathan Edwards (1972).
@fudjpackard3911 Жыл бұрын
sammy johns wrote a song that was a pretty big hit for conway twitty called "desperado love".
@redpine8665 Жыл бұрын
He wrote hits for others in the years that followed, including Waylon Jennings
@rickycole6327 Жыл бұрын
This was Sammy's only hit single sold a million copies this song came out when customized vans was a big deal sadly Sammy John passed away on January 4 2013 at age 76. RIP 🌺
@southernbella6535 Жыл бұрын
Remember this on the radio as a kid, my dad would turn it up when it came on. Crusing down town Chattanooga in a 1965 Mustang , no seat belts, windows down singing along. Music brings back great memories :) Thanks guys !
@carsonl.8788 Жыл бұрын
In 1974, we built a 63' Dodge Van into a custom van. Bright yellow paint, wood bumper with 'Harley Davidson Motor Cycles' hand carved on front, bed added, shag carpet throughout -- Pink and purple, moon roof and round side windows. Had fun with that van!
@NobodySpecial512 Жыл бұрын
I was a sophomore in high school when this came out and we had all just gotten our drivers licenses. The older brother of one of my best friends had a tricked out Chevy Van with a table that folded into a bed and the obligatory "If this van's a rockin don't come knockin" bumper sticker. That van was notorious. This song was every young man's fantasy when it came out. Were we all hoping the song was going to be about us.
@davemcbroom695 Жыл бұрын
Sammy might as well been me. Same age, same experiences. This song still grabs my heart strings.
@Keedeeg Жыл бұрын
Love this one so much!! It's most things early 70s to me!!
@LindaKarger-cm7iu Жыл бұрын
Hey guys, I had a Ford van, with a great pair of speakers and a bed in the back, in 1976. This song reminds me of my old van. When I got married we took this on our honeymoon. We went to the Wisconsin Dells and used it as a camper. We didn't have a lot of money. Good times! We need some Eagles! Thank you 😊 💓
@pdecker Жыл бұрын
This might be the biggest 70s hit in my collection. Quintessential 70s!
@danbaranowski8580 Жыл бұрын
Donnie Iris, who was in the band Wild Cherry, had a solo hit. It was called "Ah! Leah!"
@Anyone553 Жыл бұрын
1973!!!!!!! Great memories from my childhood years!!!!!
@paulraymond-bf8db Жыл бұрын
Good song good reaction
@jimbo4net Жыл бұрын
"If the van's a rockin', don't come a knockin'"! 😇😜
@crystalred2566 Жыл бұрын
Oh I absolutely love this song! Speaks to such a different time. We had a Ford Econoline that has been customized with a sink, a refrigerator, and a soda bed. ❤
@Metalphysicalpodcast Жыл бұрын
This song is a vibe. Reminds me of my youth.
@duaneford8875 Жыл бұрын
Great pick, brings back memories.
@debbiemoore8885 Жыл бұрын
Ahhh ... loved this song. You guys are the best!
@ringo365 Жыл бұрын
Love the song 🎵 amazing tune yall
@douglasfrazier2856 Жыл бұрын
Wow, you guys are really digging up some old minor classics - definitely '70's music -- country-rock I guess we called it - I always liked this story, the idea of the chance encounter between two young strangers, a memory made from sheer adoration
@sallyphillips9175 Жыл бұрын
I! LOVE! THIS! SONG!
@donitabrown8100 Жыл бұрын
Oh my gosh I haven't heard this song is such a long time..... and I loved it!! ♥♥ So glad you listened to this one!
@jamesstrickland517 Жыл бұрын
Loved this song my first car was a 1962 Chevy Impala SS but soon also picked up a six-cylinder 1968 Chevy Step van from the post office and converted it into a small motorhome this was all back in the mid-70s while in high school.
@ruthmcfadden744 Жыл бұрын
My favorite song. Thank you for reacting to this, thumbs up!
@woodschelle Жыл бұрын
Can't help but love it being a child growing up in the early 70's late 60's. Took me back to such a pleasant time. Thanks so much for sharing. What a treat. Blessings.
@marlenepettiford3731 Жыл бұрын
Ever since I was as a teenager, this song has meant a lot to me❤
@danadesimone9322 Жыл бұрын
Lots of us who came up in the 70's relate to this..i had a different ride but we played this alot..especially on a 8 track stereo..
@cynthiahoy7 Жыл бұрын
Sammy was a really great person. He was from my mother's home town. Gastonia NC. Met him several times. Thanks for playing it. Sadly he passed about 10 years ago.
@suenobles189 Жыл бұрын
I surprised myself singing aling with this one. The name sounded familiar, but it started and it all came back! Loved it!❤
@applebysattictreasures9394 Жыл бұрын
LOVE LOVE LOVE this one! When this song came out, a bunch of us 13-year-olds were in the neighbor's pool - and one of the moms commented on this "disgusting song" - such trash! LOLOLOLOL
@Jleed9892 күн бұрын
What would she have thought of “feel like making love”
@robertjones6971 Жыл бұрын
Love love love this tune! Super popular back in the day! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
@mr.knowitall6440 Жыл бұрын
I can only imagine how many Chevy Vans this song sold. I was 8yo when this came out (1973), and it made an impression on me... 🤙😎
@alleykeosheyan4779 Жыл бұрын
Same age when this came out, love it to this day!
@memorylane7068 Жыл бұрын
They played it at the skating rink! This was blasted to children and we loved it. We loved the 70's custom vans as well.
@DAMHoo Жыл бұрын
Oh man this brings back memories. I was in high school and we all loved this song
@elizabethfranco1284 Жыл бұрын
That’s what you call a story song!
@dggydddy59 Жыл бұрын
I was 16 when my parents got an extremely decked out Chevy van and I used to love driving that baby around town. Murals, portholes, a bed, carpeting everywhere, a cooler, it had everything a self respecting Chevy van was supposed to have in the early mid 70's. Fun times, indeed!
@elizabeths37545 ай бұрын
That is one love song back in the day the 70s was the best years of my life I'm 63 now lol
@susanboyd245 Жыл бұрын
The 70s were the BEST years ever, Peace, Love, and Rock and Roll
@johnv61 Жыл бұрын
Hearing this song as a teenager made me want a van soo bad!…lol Great little song that brings back fond memories. Thanks guys. And don’t forget “Tobacco Road” by the Winter brothers, I know you’ve seen me recommend it A LOT!…;)
@user-gd2zi8iz9y7 ай бұрын
I absolutely LOVED watching the genuine groove that came across your faces and body language as Sammy Johns' Chevy Van was playing. I got goose bumps as we shared that laid back vibe. I was born in 1965 so I was quite young when he made his mark on Rock & Roll. I truly LOVE all genres of music. But sometimes I hear those old 70's songs in particular with real bands and epic harmonies - and it just makes me close my eyes and sway...just like you guys did. It takes me back to a time that was so perfectly flawed. I will be following you. Bless you both!
@jeffdetmer4681 Жыл бұрын
Sammy had several of his songs also covered by other artists. Waylon Jennings had success witha song called America. That song was nominated for song of the year in (I think) 1985 or 86)
@waltw4537 Жыл бұрын
Like the harmonies. Thanks.
@sharonstark1014 Жыл бұрын
I remember when this song came out in 1973 or 1974. It reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Back in the 70s everyone picked up hitchhikers, it was safer back then. I was in high school and all of us kids played this song over and over again. Check out a couple of other songs by Sammy Johns, they weren't hits but good songs, "Jenny" and "Early morning Love." Sadly he passed away in 2013.
@victoriataylor6741 Жыл бұрын
My 1st boyfriend had the coolest van! Awesome mural on the side. Inside...just like a mobile bedroom...lol
@bunnyheywood10 ай бұрын
One of top five 70's songs for me. And i know hundreds of 70's songs! Growing up in the 70's was so fun and with great music and this song was one of them.😊❤
@musicman6243 Жыл бұрын
Omg haven't heard this in so long❤ 1973 I was 11 years old. Thanks J and Amber ❤
@calamityjayne4164 Жыл бұрын
💗💗💗💗 His voice and this song just makes me smile! 💗💗💗💗💗
@CardiacCat Жыл бұрын
Oh I love this song. So many good memories from this one. Oh guys, if you don't know, vans were HUGE back in the 70's. People would customize them inside and out. You had woodgrain paneling and shag carpet inside most of them. It went all the way up the walls sometimes. Custom made bed area in the back that usually had some storage/cooler area, and of course, it had to have them speakers all through out to keep that music flowing.
@bobsagat1322 Жыл бұрын
I so love song. I actually met Sammy Johns at the music store I worked in a few years back I was playing Chevy Van in the acoustic room and he popped in and listened a bit and was like your playing one wrong chord there but your close and I didn’t know who it was. He offered to teach me and introduced himself and said he was glad to meet a fan. Then we sat there and played Chevy Van together in the room and talked for an hour. It was so fun and he even gave us a signed album to hang up in the store.
@genebarker3624 Жыл бұрын
Haven't heard this song in many years, totally forgot about it. Thanks for reminding me.
@tmr626 Жыл бұрын
There's a Canadian song that has a nice vibe like this Sammy Johns song. This song doesn't have many views because it got lost along the way. The song is "Rainbows, Pots Of Gold And Moonbeams" by Studebaker Hawk from '75.
@ronstegall2312 Жыл бұрын
70's bumper stickers said "GAS, GRASS, or ASS!!!! NoBody rides for free!!!!" lol
@m.t.ralstin1222 Жыл бұрын
The story is a one hit wonder. The great thing is the song is about a great "one hit" and the song itself is a one hit. It may be a night you have in a bar with some strangers singing motown. It may be about a first year in college or your last year in high school. But there are those one perfect short times, days, nights or years that stay with you forever.
@kellisklozzet2942 Жыл бұрын
FINALLY!!!! L looooooove this song so much! Me and my kids when they were little, used to sing this song all the time. I raised them RIGHT! On music from the 70’s and 80’s
@albertsmith9315 Жыл бұрын
First heard this 50 years ago (as a teenager) and last heard it like 47 years ago, and yet I remember every word and every note like I just heard it yesterday. The result of this playing on AM radio every 10 minutes. Just don't ask me what I had for lunch yesterday.
@reginafromtexas2314 Жыл бұрын
I haven't heard that song in decades, but I could still sing every word!!
@barbaracollins385 Жыл бұрын
Haven't heard this since the 70s, and yet somehow, I still remember all the words. Truly, the essence of our generation. Life was so simple then. Too bad we couldn't have stayed so happy living a simple life of peace and love for our fellow man.
@rickspivey3410 Жыл бұрын
Great song from the 70's. I had the 45.
@jackiegerspachhas4237 Жыл бұрын
Truck Ins were a very fun thing. I went to a lot of them. Vans from all over came to them. You camped out at different places. Everyone blasted their stereos. Some had topless contests. It depended on which club it was.
@kimking6036 Жыл бұрын
Vans, beautiful pictures on the side, no back seats, bed in the back, shaggy carpet, and a mini frig. We should bring them back😊
@lydianunez2522 Жыл бұрын
Chevy Van's were customized back in the 70's. Almost like the mini RV's of now. Such a great memory. I'm a teen from that decade.
@chadsmith3363 Жыл бұрын
This song is such a groove. As they used to say: "Gas, grass, or @ss - nobody rides for free!"
@jamesevans3492 Жыл бұрын
Great, You Have Finally Found, And Listened To This Great 70's Song . . . :-)
@edwardpate61284 ай бұрын
You should have used one of the versions that had some amazing images of 70's custom vans. It was a great time to be a teenager! I was 16 in 1976.
@kennelson6055 Жыл бұрын
I had a 77 Customized Chevy Van complete with muriels,side pipes, shag carpet, u shaped couch in the back that made into a bed. Good times.
@hockemeyer1 Жыл бұрын
We hitch hiked a lot during the 60s and 70s. Christmas of 67, my first year in the Navy, I hitched rides from Norfolk Va to my parents home in Detroit on the day before Christmas eve to surprise my mother. We were supposed to be deploying that day but our order got changed to deploy after New Years. I left my ship about 7pm or so and got home around dusk the next day. It took me 3 rides from 3 great families.
@markrinehart88137 ай бұрын
Chevy from 1975. Makes you think of the old saying, "If it's a rockin', don't come a knockin'). A couple of suggestions for you. Ray Stevens "Guitarzan" (because you like his funny songs) and someone I don't believe you heard before, R Dean Taylor "Indiana Wants Me"
@danielmurphy4429 Жыл бұрын
Hey Amber not to worry, you can do the same thing in the back of a Chevy van as you can in the Ford.😉
@michellesims2950 Жыл бұрын
My sister fell in LOVE with this song and she told my dad she wanted a van. He told her "Nice girls don't drive vans." Big mistake on his part. She dug in and always wanted one on from then on.😂 Great pick.
@georgewilson118410 ай бұрын
YES!!!! By all means this song is super awesome by all means oh yeah !!!
@stillaboveground2470 Жыл бұрын
A friend of mine would sing along to this song whenever it was on the radio, and he'd add his own special lyric after the chorus: 🎵 "We made love in my Chevy van and that's all right with me" 🎵 (Because I got mine!)
@scot60 Жыл бұрын
I adore this song!!!! It came out when I was 13. Loved it then, love it now.
@spankynater4242Ай бұрын
I grew up with this song, but it’s only within the last year or so that I fell in love with it.
@787music Жыл бұрын
Wowww, someone dug deep for this one! Vans used to be very popular in the day. Loved it when I was a kid!
@unrulyjulie4382 Жыл бұрын
I don't even want to think about how long it's been since I heard this song! Class of '77!
@douglasswicegood4420 Жыл бұрын
So remember in my teens. Chevy Van from 1973. To me its just beautiful.
@sandyboudreaux-barber9586 Жыл бұрын
This song will always make me smile. It was in 73-75 era. So many memories
@michaelknight2118 Жыл бұрын
I surprised myself, remembering all the lyrics. Another cool van song, Nanci Griffith, Ford Econoline, folk for Amber. Thanks for the smile.