"The One I Loved Back Then (The Corvette Song)" is the title of a country song written by Gary Gentry and recorded by American country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 singer George Jones

George Jones

George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....

. It was recorded for his 1985 album Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes, from which it was released in late 1985 as the second single. The song peaked at number three on the Hot Country Singles chart in early 1986.

The Song's Story

The song focuses on a man's love of fast cars and beautiful women, and certain "similarities" between the two.

In the song, the singer and his girlfriend are out for a leisure drive (in the singer's Corvette) when the singer stops at a roadside store to purchase beer and cigarettes. As the singer pays for his merchandise, the store clerk, supposedly noticing the singer's Corvette parked outside, tells the singer how he had one just like her a long time ago (in 1963) and was taken away from him by a bank employee. Thinking the clerk is talking about his car, the singer offers him his keys and asks the clerk to "take her for a spin". Clarifying the singer's misinterpretation, the clerk informs the singer that it's not the car he is talking about, but the singer's girlfriend, who is waiting out in the car.

The aforementioned "similarities" between car and girl is revealed in the song's chorus.

Chart performance

Chart (1985–1986)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	3
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	2