1971 Pontiac - Heartache On the Dance Floor

I'm surprised that full "concept" music videos still exist these days. Slickly produced ones are expensive to make and I wonder if the lack of centralized platforms that cater to specific audiences  makes them worth while. I guess, seeing how many "views" the 2017 video for Jon Pardi's hit country song, "Heartache On the Dance Floor" has gotten on youtube.com, more than forty-five million as I write this on Halloween morning 2020, they apparently do. Like any movie studio, most likely the videos for songs that are successful help to monetize productions that aren't. A "full concept" video, incidentally, is one where the artist is in some scenario other than what we may know them best for. This being a car blog I'll focus my attention on what I construe to be the real star of the video, this sky-blue 1971 Pontiac. 

Best I can tell this is either a 1971 Pontiac LeMans or a "T-37". "T-37" was a GM model designation denoting a two-door coupe and for '71, apparently someone thought it a good idea to tag Pontiac's entry level mid-size coupe or sedan "T-37" akin to Chevrolet's "Camaro Z-28"; although "Z-28" was a top-of-the-line model. From 1964-1970 Pontiac's entry level intermediate was the "Tempest". From '61-'63 "Tempest" was tagged onto Pontiac's version of the Chevrolet Corvair. 

Not saying the letter "Z" or the number "28" is "cooler" than  "T" or "37" but from the start, "Z-28" connotated something more than just a model designation. "T-37" sounding as exciting as a part number for a dishwasher or the size of a Torx bit. Pontiac only offered the "T-37" and a high performance version they called "GT-37" in 1971 and 1972. 

One thing for certain is that this car is certainly not a "GTO" as depicted in this still. Interestingly, this GTO badge is the only labeling on this car save for the Pontiac logo we see on the steering wheel in a couple of the interior shots. 

If this is not a GTO then why is it there? Well, it wasn't that uncommon years ago for folks to tag their lesser ware with the label of something that was decidedly more interesting or more expensive. Festooning "GTO" to the grill of what may very well be a six-cylinder powered, rental grade coupe is, if anything, a bit perturbing since those who actually cared about such things knew and know better. 

It's not uncommon to remove all ornamentation on a car before painting it - this does appear to be a somewhat fresh respray - and whomever did it left off the LeMans or T-37 badges you'd find on the lower front fender behind the tires. If you look closely here, you can see that the driver's door and the left fender don't line up properly. Note that gap at the bottom front. Yikes. In fairness, if you've ever hung body panels on a car that's been damaged, you know how hard that can be to do properly even if the frame or body shell hasn't been compromised. Either that or the hinge-pins are shot or the hinges themselves need to be realigned. 

Further proof this is not a GTO - we see here the dashboard doesn't have the "engine-turned" metal trim plate that GTO's had. Shout out to the producers having the good sense to have the car in "DRIVE" during these scenes where the car is moving since it's most likely being towed or on a trailer. 

Also, Pontiac fans, note the lack of an engine "call-out" tag on the sill below the front fenders behind the tires. Again, whomever did the repair or restoration work on this car may have removed them, we actually never see the right side of the car for confirmation, but six-cylinder T-37's and LeMans' didn't get a "250" badge "calling-out" the two-hundred fifty cubic inch Chevrolet inline six they had. The gaggle of V-8's, from the Pontiac 350 to the 400 and the 455 all had "badges". 

Which leads me to a question I will probably never get answered - why was this car cast in the video? 

Could be as simple as Jon wanting "an old muscle car" in it and this is what was available economically or otherwise. A non-car person's idea of a muscle car is a "car-person's" weak kneed poser. This car could actually belong to Jon or someone, perhaps Jon himself, wanted an old blue car to go along with the blue hues we see throughout the video. Fitting somewhat considering parts of the video, shot in somewhat super-slo'-mo', is supposedly a dream Jon is having. The color blue in dreams denoting the sky and sea. It's also the color of peace, calm, trust, wisdom, loyalty, intelligence, confidence, truth and faith. All that a tall order for a fifty-year old Poncho coupe but it fits the bill. 

Fits the bill even if Jon, who stands nearly six foot four, struggles to fit behind the wheel of this "not-small" Pontiac mid-sizer. Stereotypical as it may seem, I have to wonder why they didn't opt for a an old blue pickup instead of this thing. As musically talented as Jon is, much like, say, Dierks Bentley, he's not exactly the country-est of country stars in the way Luke Combs is. His music may very well be but he's certainly not so that might explain why the vehicular foil in this video was cast against type. 

 

I'll never know, of course, unless I meet up with Jon (which is highly unlikely these days) and like most times with nebulous questions the answers are probably not that interesting. That said, fun cool song and video. By the way, so you know it's not always about cars, the object of Jon's affection in the video is model and actress Tasha Franken. Note the blue streak. 

"Heartache on the Dance Floor" was written by Jon, Bart Butler and Brice Long and is featured on Jon's 2016 album, "California Sunrise". The song reached numbers three and five on the two Country Music Charts the music industry deems most important. It was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) denoting sales of over one million units in the United States.

Pontiac branded an intermediate size automobile "LeMans" through 1981. They sold a "captive-import" produced by South Korean automaker "Daewoo" as a "LeMans" from 1988-1994.