This was the first ZZ Top single to use synthesizers; the new sound made them a huge commercial success. Lyrically, the song is a variation on a common theme for the band: sex.
Van Halen followed ZZ Top's lead a few months later when they used synthesizers on their album 1984. Most of their fans didn't mind, since it still featured the guitar of Eddie Van Halen.
The video was ZZ Top's first and also the first to have a sequel. Wildly successful on MTV, 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 Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. 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.
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