Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)
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| "Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Waylon Jennings | ||||
| from the album Music Man | ||||
| Released | August 1980 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1980 | |||
| Genre | Country, pop | |||
| Length | 2:06 | |||
| Label | RCA Records 12067 | |||
| Writer(s) | Waylon Jennings | |||
| Producer | Richie Albright | |||
| Certification | Platinum (RIAA) | |||
| Waylon Jennings singles chronology | ||||
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"Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)" is a song made famous by country music singer Waylon Jennings. Recognizable to fans as the theme to the CBS comedy adventure television series The Dukes of Hazzard, the song became a No. 1 hit on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in 1980.
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[edit] Song history
Jennings, who had served as the narrator for the 1975 movie Moonrunners, was tapped to serve in the same capacity for The Dukes of Hazzard (which premiered on CBS in 1979 and was based on Moonrunners). Jennings wrote the theme song for the show, eventually cutting two versions; in addition to the television version, he recorded a slightly different version for commercial sale and radio airplay.[1]
The differences between the television theme version and the commercially available recording are as follows:
- TV theme — The third verse contains the lyric: "Fightin' the system like two modern-day Robin Hoods." (along with the "Yee-haw!" by characters Bo and Luke Duke, although it is in fact Bo's vocal used twice). The television verse features a banjo that does not appear on the radio version.
- Single/album version — A musical bridge follows the first verse and refrain. After the second refrain, Jennings makes a tongue-in-cheek reference about how his mother doesn't understand "why they keep showing my hands and not my face on TV" (a statement to the opening shot in the theme where Jennings is shown, below the neck, playing the guitar), before fading out.
Most of Jennings' greatest hits and various artists compilations containing "Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)" feature the commercial version.
[edit] Chart performance
"Theme From The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)" became Jennings' twelfth number-one country hit overall (tenth as a solo recording act) in November 1980. The song spent seventeen weeks on the Billboard country singles charts, and became his biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 21.[2] It also appeared on several other music charts. The song was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales over 2 million.[3]
[edit] Chart performance
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 26 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Cashbox Top 100 | 22 |
[edit] Other versions
The song was covered by the Swedish Lo-fi-group Loosegoats on their demo For Sale by Owner but has never been featured on any of their full-length albums.
Rapper Lil Wyte sampled the song on his song "Comin' Yo Direction" off his album Doubt Me Now.
[edit] Other artists
Waylon Jennings' son Shooter Jennings is known for singing "Good ol' Boys" at the Dukefests, which honor the show, and his late father.
Along with Willie Nelson and Ben Jones (Cooter in the show), Waylon Jennings sang the song in an extended version.
Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song while driving The General Lee for their 1982 album The Chipmunks Go Hollywood.
In 2006, John Schneider (Bo Duke), Tom Wopat (Luke Duke), and Catherine Bach (Daisy Duke) made a music video, as seen on the 7th Season DVD of the series.
In the The Dukes of Hazzard film adaptation (2005), a recording of Waylon Jennings was used in one scene, also, as heard on the soundtrack, by Willie Nelson (Uncle Jesse in the film).
In the 2007 film, The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning, country singer John Anderson sings the theme.
Nike used the song in an advertising campaign featuring NFL star Randy Moss and NBA star Jason Williams, who were teammates in the same high school in rural Belle, West Virginia.
[edit] References
- ^ Roland, Tom, "The Billboard of Number One Country Hits" (Billboard Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991 (ISBN 0-82-307553-2)), p. 426-427
- ^ allmusic.com
- ^ riaa.com
[edit] See also
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Pop Singles: 1955-2006," 2007.
| Preceded by "I Believe in You" by Don Williams |
Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single November 1, 1980 |
Succeeded by "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson |
