"80s Mercedes" is a song by American singer Maren Morris. It was released on June 27, 2016, as the second single from her debut studio album, Hero (2016). She co-wrote and co-produced the song with Busbee during a session where they traded ideas about its title and the numerous influences from that era. The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Alon Isocianu.
In the United States, "80s Mercedes" peaked at numbers 11, 12, and 74 on the Hot Country Songs, Country Airplay, and Billboard Hot 100, respectively. The song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold 236,000 units in the country as of January 2017. It also reached at number 17 on the Canada Country chart, receiving a Gold certification from Music Canada—denoting sales of 40,000 units in that country.
Background According to Morris, the inspiration for the song came from a conversation with Audra Mae, who used the phrase "80s Mercedes" in their conversation and she thought it would be a good title for a song. She mentioned the idea to Busbee at their song-writing session, and Busbee started asking Morris questions for possible directions on the writing. One of those questions was: "What year were you born?". Morris answered 1990, and Busbee then came out with the line: "I'm a '90s baby in my '80s Mercedes" which became the hook for the song. The song has some influences from 1980s songs, and contains an oblique reference to Don Henley's song "The Boys of Summer".
Release and music video "80s Mercedes" was released on June 27, 2016, as the second single from Morris's debut studio album, Hero (2016). Its music video, directed by Alon Isocianu and premiered in August, features a 1980s era Mercedes Benz 380 SL vehicle.
Commercial performance In the United States, "80s Mercedes" has reached number 11 on the US Hot Country Songs chart. It entered the Country Airplay chart at number 53, and has since reached number 12. The song also debuted at number 91 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 17 on Canada Country charts for the week of November 25, 2016. "80s Mercedes" has sold 236,000 copies as of January 2017.
Critical reception "80s Mercedes" was placed at number 38 on Rolling Stones "50 Best Songs of 2016", stating: "The Nashville breakout star is writing cooler car songs than anyone else these days – she's a 'Nineties baby in an Eighties Mercedes', blasting Hank Williams and Johnny Cash on her radio."
Accolades Year Association Category Result2017 Radio Disney Music Awards Favorite Country Song CMT Music Awards Female Video of the Year Performance of the Year (with Alicia Keys on CMT Crossroads)
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (2016–2017) Peakposition
Year-end charts Chart (2016) Position US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) 60 Chart (2017) Position US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) 69
Certifications
References