East Bound and Down
| "East Bound and Down" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:East Bound and Down - Jerry Reed.jpg | ||||
| Single by Jerry Reed | ||||
| from the album Smokey And The Bandit: Music from the Motion Picture | ||||
| B-side | "(I'm Just A) Redneck in a Rock and Roll Bar"[1] | |||
| Released | August 1, 1977 | |||
| Genre | Country, truck-driving country, country rock | |||
| Length | 2:45 | |||
| Label | RCA Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jerry Reed, Dick Feller | |||
| Producer(s) | Jerry Reed | |||
| Jerry Reed singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"East Bound and Down" is a song written by Jerry Reed and Dick Feller, and recorded by Reed for the soundtrack for the film Smokey and the Bandit. The song features Reed on the lead vocal, and vocalist Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires on the harmony vocal. It was released in August 1977 as a single on RCA Records.
The song spent 16 weeks on the U.S. country music charts, reaching a peak of #2.[1] It also reached #3 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.
The "...and Down" in the title and lyric is CB radio jargon for "I'm finished transmitting, but still listening to the channel." "[Direction] bound and down" remains a common sign-off for truckers on CB radio.
Chart performance
| Chart (1977–78) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 2[citation needed] |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100[2] | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 2[citation needed] |
Cover versions
- A variant version of the song, titled "West Bound and Down," was also recorded by Reed and included on the Smokey and the Bandit soundtrack.
- A cover was recorded in 2005 by Canadian country music group The Road Hammers. Other cover versions include Aaron Tippin, Supersuckers, Dave Dudley, and Tonic.
- The song was recorded by punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on their sixth album, Love Their Country.
- "East Bound and Down" was recorded by Jessy Lynn Martens for the TV series Archer under the pseudonym "Cherlene."
- "East Bound and Down" was recorded by the Supersuckers on their 2005 album Devil's Food.
- "East Bound and Down" was performed by Midland at the 52nd Country Music Association Awards in 2018
- The Ford Motor Company revived the song‘s popularity as part of its F-Series truck advertisements in 2018, where a host of pickups from different years and towing various items, such as barbecue grills, a 1960s-era Ford Bronco, and a statue of the Big Boy mascot, is seen driving down the highway.
References
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 343. ISBN 0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004
External links
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