The Way (Fastball song)
| "The Way" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"The Way" is an alternative rock song by the American 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. 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 90's, ranking at #94.[1] The song was remixed about a year after its original release by Italian DJ Gigi D'Agostino, in his album L'Amour Toujours.
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[2]. They were discovered two weeks later, dead, at the bottom of a ravine near Hot Springs, Arkansas, hundreds of miles off their intended route[3].
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."
Track listing
- "The Way"
- "Are You Ready for the Fallout?"
- "Freeloader Freddy"
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 5 |
| 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 |
References
- ^ 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