How a Songwriter’s Lack of Car Knowledge Led to a Wilson Pickett Hit

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.

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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.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images