Hit the Road Jack

"Hit the Road Jack"
Single by Ray Charles
B-side	"The Danger Zone"
Released	September 1961
Format	7", 45rpm
Genre	R&B
Length	2:00
Label	ABC
Writer(s)	Percy Mayfield

"Hit the Road Jack" is a song written by rhythm and bluesman Percy Mayfield and first recorded in 1960 as an a capella demo sent to Art Rupe, available on the Memory Pain CD vol. 2, Specialty Records SPCD-7027-2. It became famous after it was recorded by singer-pianist Ray Charles. It hit number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, beginning on Monday, October 9, 1961. The song was also number one on the R&B Sides chart for five weeks and , becoming Ray Charles' sixth number one on that chart. The song is ranked #377 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It was the theme song from the sitcom Unhappily Ever After from season 1 to 5. The song, which has a strong beat, is a brief, rather comic duet between a fed-up woman and her good-for-nothing man. He tries to wheedle her into letting him stay, but she will have none of it, "'cause it's understood: you ain't got no money, you just ain't no good."

Notable recordings

• Helen Reddy (1972), from the album "I Am Woman"
• Richard Anthony (1961 - in French as "Fiche le camp, Jack")
• The Animals (1966)
• Big Youth – a reggae version of the song is on his 1976 album Hit the Road Jack. Also included on Natty Universal Dread 1973–1979.
• Monica Zetterlund – Swedish version with the title "Stick iväg Jack" with lyrics by Beppe Wolgers.
• The Stampeders featuring Wolfman Jack (1975)
• Suzi Quatro (1974)
• John Mellencamp (aka Johnny Cougar) (1976)
• The Residents (1987)
• Buster Poindexter (1989)
• Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (1990 - Ska Para Toujou)
• Hermes House Band (2004 - Get Ready To Party)
• Miyavi (2005 – live)
• Basement Jaxx (2006)^{[citation needed]}
• Tic Tac Toe (2006)
• Mo' Horizons (in Portuguese as "Pé Na Estrada")
• The Easybeats
• Sha Na Na
• Renee Olstead - featured on her 2009 album Skylark
• Shirley Horn - featured on her 1993 album Light out of darkness (a tribute to Ray Charles)
• Jamie Cullum and Tim Minchin covered the song on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 23 October 2009.
• John Farnham covered the song and combined it in medley with the song "Fever" for his 2010 Jack album.
• Acid Drinkers featured on album Fishdick Zwei – The Dick Is Rising Again (2010)

References in Popular Culture

• In the Two and a Half Men episode A Bottle of Wine and a Jackhammer Charlie plays the piece in delight on his piano as Alan moves out of his house.

Preceded by "Take Good Care of My Baby" by Bobby Vee	Billboard Hot 100 number one single (Ray Charles version) October 9, 1961 (2 weeks)	Succeeded by "Runaround Sue" by Dion DiMucci
Preceded by "My True Story" by The Jive Five	Billboard Hot R&B Sides number-one single Ray Charles version October 2, 1961-October 30, 1961	Succeeded by "Ya Ya" by Lee Dorsey