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* In the ''[[Two and a Half Men]]'' episode "A Bottle of Wine and a Jackhammer", [[Charlie Harper (Two and a Half Men)|Charlie]] plays the piece in delight on his piano as Alan moves out of his house.
* In the ''[[Two and a Half Men]]'' episode "A Bottle of Wine and a Jackhammer", [[Charlie Harper (Two and a Half Men)|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.
* It was the theme song from the sitcom ''[[Unhappily Ever After]]'' from season 1 to 5.
* The song is featured in the 1963 short film ''[[Scorpio Rising (film)|Scorpio Rising]]''.
* The song is featured in the 1964 short film ''[[Scorpio Rising (film)|Scorpio Rising]]''.
* Ray Charles' version is played over the PA during [[Chicago Bulls]] games when an opponent fouls out of the game.
* 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 (film)|''The Dream Team'']].
* It plays during the closing credits of 1989 film [[The Dream Team (film)|''The Dream Team'']].

Revision as of 18:53, 28 August 2015

This article is about the single by Ray Charles. For the album by Big Youth, see Hit the Road Jack (album). For the television series, see Hit the Road Jack (TV series).
"Hit the Road Jack"
Song
B-side"The Danger Zone"

"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. It became famous after it was recorded by singer-songwriter-pianist Ray Charles with The Raelettes vocalist Margie Hendricks.

Ray Charles' recording hit number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, beginning on Monday, October 9, 1961. "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, thereby becoming Ray Charles' sixth number one on that chart. The song is ranked #387 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Notable recordings

  • The Buffalo Bill episode "Hit the Road, Newdell" includes a dream sequence where Dabney Coleman's character lipsyncs the Ray Charles version of the song. This musical sequence was deleted from the DVD release because producers were unable to secure rights to include the song.[1]
  • 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.
  • The song is featured in the 1964 short film Scorpio Rising.
  • 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.
  • The song is referenced in the hook of British singer Conor Maynard's single "R U Crazy".
  • In the movie The Fisher King, radio DJ Jack Lucas uses it as the closing theme for his phone in show.
  • Rough Copy sang "Hit the Road Jack" on the fifth live show of the tenth series of The X Factor.
  • Some NBA teams play this song when a player fouls out or gets ejected.

Charts

Chart (1961) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] 3
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[3] 13
France (SNEP)[4] 42
UK Singles (OCC)[5] 6
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 1
US Hot R&B Sides (Billboard)[6] 1
Chart (2011) Peak
position
France (SNEP)[7] 90

References

  1. ^ Weinberg, Scott (October 11, 2005). "Buffalo Bill - The Complete First and Second Seasons". DVD Talk. Retrieved December 10, 2013.
  2. ^ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book (1940–1969). Turramurra: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
  3. ^ "Ray Charles – Hit the Road Jack" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  4. ^ "Accès direct à ces Artistes: Ray Charles" (select "Ray Charles" and then click "Go") (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  5. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Ray Charles – Awards". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 8, 2014. {{cite web}}: templatestyles stripmarker in |work= at position 1 (help)
  7. ^ "Ray Charles – Hit the Road Jack" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
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