The Way (song)
| "The Way" | ||||
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| Single by Fastball | ||||
| from the album All the Pain Money Can Buy | ||||
| Released | February 24, 1998 | |||
| Format | CD single, cassette single | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock | |||
| Length | 4:17 (Album Version) 4:08 (Radio Edit) |
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| Label | Hollywood Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Tony Scalzo | |||
| Fastball singles chronology | ||||
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"The Way" is a song by the American alternative rock band Fastball from their second studio album, All the Pain Money Can Buy. It peaked at #1 on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in April and remained there for seven weeks. The song also reached #1 on Canada's Singles Chart.[1] It peaked at #21 on the UK Singles Chart, having had a fair amount of airplay from independent radio stations such as Forth One.
The song was voted by VH1 as one of the 100 Greatest Songs of the 1990s, ranking at #94.[2] The song was remixed about a year after its original release by Italian DJ Gigi D'Agostino, in his album L'Amour Toujours. Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 2007 video game Alvin and the Chipmunks.
Contents |
[edit] Inspiration
"The Way" revolves around an older married couple who decide to give it all away by packing up and going driving. Along the way, their car breaks down, so they continue on foot. As the song goes on, it becomes apparent that these two achieve happiness by losing touch with the world.
Fastball bassist Tony Scalzo came up with the idea for the song after reading journalistic articles which described the disappearance of an older married couple, Lela and Raymond Howard from Salado, Texas, who left home in June 1997 to attend the Pioneer Day festival at nearby Temple, Texas, but never arrived.[3] They were discovered two weeks later, dead, at the bottom of a ravine near Hot Springs, Arkansas, hundreds of miles off their intended route.[4]
About the song, Scalzo said that "It's a romanticized take on what happened" - he "pictured them taking off to have fun, like they did when they first met."
The beginning of the song features a radio scanning through FM stations; among the songs played are Jewel's "Foolish Games", Roy Orbison's "You Got It", and Madonna's "Vogue."
[edit] Track listing
- US CD Single:
- "The Way"
- "Are You Ready for the Fallout?"
- "Freeloader Freddy"
- US Promo CD:
- "The Way (Radio Edit)"
- "The Way (Album Version)"
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 25 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks | 31 |
| Canadian RPM Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Alternative 30 | 1 |
| Preceded by "Sex and Candy" by Marcy Playground |
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one single April 11 - May 23, 1998 |
Succeeded by "Closing Time" by Semisonic |
| Preceded by "Sex and Candy" by Marcy Playground |
Canadian RPM Rock/Alternative 30 number-one single April 27 - May 18, 1998 |
Succeeded by "Wishlist" by Pearl Jam |
[edit] References
- ^ "Top Singles - Volume 67, No. 12, June 15 1998". RPM. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.3592&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=c6btf3r8hs459qqt5ln3o3dcv5. Retrieved 2010-06-21.
- ^ 100 Greatest Songs Of The '90s Full List
- ^ Family remains mystified by disapperance [sic] AP Thursday, July 10, 1997
- ^ Salado couple shared passions for church, each other AP Monday, July 14, 1997
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