Hit the Road Jack
| "Hit the Road Jack" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Ray Charles | |
| B-side | "The Danger Zone" |
| Released | 1960 |
| Format | 7", 45rpm |
| Genre | R&B |
| Length | 2:00 |
| Label | ABC-Paramount |
| 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 cappella demo sent to Art Rupe.[1] It became famous after it was recorded by singer-songwriter-pianist Ray Charles with the Raelettes vocalist Margie Hendricks.
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."
Ray Charles' recording hit number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, beginning on Monday, October 9, 1961.[2] "Hit the Road Jack" also got a Grammy award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording. 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.[3] The song is ranked #387 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Contents |
Notable recordings [edit]
- Richard Anthony (1961 - in French as "Fiche le camp, Jack")
- The Animals (1966)
- Helen Reddy (1972), from the album I Am Woman
- Monica Zetterlund – Swedish version with the title "Stick iväg Jack" with lyrics by Beppe Wolgers
- Suzi Quatro (1974)
- The Stampeders featuring Wolfman Jack (1975)
- John Mellencamp (aka Johnny Cougar) (1976)
- 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
- The Residents (1987)
- Buster Poindexter (1989)
- Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra (1990 - Ska Para Toujou)
- The Weather Girls (1999)
- 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)
- Casey Abrams featuring Haley Reinhart, featured on Abram's upcoming debut album Casey Abrams (2012)
- Baby Isaac featured on Baby Isaac's album Blues Epidemic (2011)
References in Popular Culture [edit]
- 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.
- It was the theme song from the sitcom Unhappily Ever After from season 1 to 5.
- Ray Charles' version is played over the PA during Chicago Bulls games when an opponent fouls out of the game.
- It plays during the closing credits of 1989 film The Dream Team.
| 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 |
References [edit]
- ^ Available on the Memory Pain CD vol. 2, Specialty Records SPCD-7027-2
- ^ Billboard chart
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 112.
External links [edit]
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