Released: 1982″Little Red Corvette” by Prince is a steamy representation of rushed romance and the dangers of moving too fast in a relationship. The song uses car and racing metaphors to reveal a cautionary tale about a love that burns bright and fast, but lacks the depth to endure.
Opening with the confession, “I guess I should have known by the way you parked your car sideways that it wouldn’t last”, Prince depicts a certain recklessness in his lover’s behavior. By referencing a ‘pocket full of horses’, Prince uses a clever play on words to suggest his lover is experienced and perhaps too promiscuous.
The chorus of the song, “Little Red Corvette, baby you’re much too fast, you need a love that’s gonna last”, highlights the main theme. The ‘Little Red Corvette’ here symbolises an exciting but fleeting love affair. Prince advises that the lover needs a love that is deeper and more enduring.
Prince uses the line, ‘a body like yours oughta be in jail’, which is a nod to the irresistible allure of his lover. His lover’s body, like a ‘little red love machine’, is dangerously alluring, hinting at the intoxicating power of physical attraction.
The provocative lyric, ‘girl, you got an ass like I never seen, and the ride is so smooth, you must be a Limousine’, shows Prince’s captivation by her physical attractiveness. Again, it stresses the notion of fast, thrilling, but short-lived encounters.
Finally, lines like ‘you got to slow down, you’re moving much too fast’ and ‘if you don’t, you gonna run your body right into the ground’, reiterate the urgency to caution his lover about the consequences of a fast-paced lifestyle.
So, in all, “Little Red Corvette” is an iconic tune that uses imaginative metaphors to spotlight a lover’s fast lifestyle and its potential downfall.
