ZZ TOP - GIMME ALL YOUR LOVIN

When ZZ Top released “Gimme All You Lovin’” as a single in April 1983, it loudly announced the band’s foray into synth-rock, a transition that was inspired by a different legendary act. A year before “Eliminator” made ZZ Top one of the biggest bands on the planet, Billy Gibbons and the group were on tour in Europe. The frontman wandered into a local nightclub and was surprised to see people dancing to the Rolling Stones 1980 single “Emotional Rescue.”

The idea to infuse electronic elements, synthesizers and dance rhythms with ZZ Top’s traditional blues rock sound eventually became the driving force of Eliminator. Nowhere was that more evident than on the album’s first single, “Gimme All Your Lovin.’” Lyrically, the song is a variation on a common theme for the band: sex.

The single peaked at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and reached No. 10 in the U.K. Its presence was felt even more strongly on MTV, where the "Gimme All Your Lovin'" music video earned heavy rotation, sparking ZZ Top's unexpected ascent to video stardom.

The video was ZZ Top's first and also the first to have a sequel. The clip showed a mechanic/gas station attendant who is working when three beautiful women appear in "The Eliminator," which was a 1933 Ford Hot Rod owned by Gibbons. Our hero gets the keys to the car, and goes for a ride with the ladies, who return him some time later.

In a brilliant move, they left room for a sequel, as he sees the car driving off. The story picks up in the video for “Sharp Dressed Man”, where the guy is now a valet. Establishing the car and the girls as iconic images of ZZ Top helped them wow the younger generation. The car was so popular that Gibbons had another one made to take on tour. The video for this song helped pay off the car that starred in it. Billy Gibbons estimates that he spent about $250,000 buying and restoring the car, and was deep in debt on the vehicle. By putting the car in the video, it became a business expense, and thus a write-off. The car was used on the album cover and became a personification of the band.