"Carry on Wayward Son" is a progressive rock

Progressive rock

Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...

 single recorded by Kansas

Kansas (band)

Kansas is an American rock band that became popular in the 1970s initially on Album-Oriented Rock charts, and later with hit singles such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind"...

 and written by Kerry Livgren

Kerry Livgren

Kerry Allen Livgren is an American musician and songwriter, best known as one of the founding members and primary songwriters for the 1970s progressive rock band, Kansas.-Biography:...

 for their 1976 album Leftoverture

Leftoverture

Leftoverture is the fourth album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1976. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2001.-Overview:...

. In 1977, the song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard pop singles chart

Billboard charts

The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...

, becoming their first Top 40 hit.

The 7" single has been certified Gold by the RIAA. This version was a much shorter version of the song, edited down to 3:26, a version that was also the band's only single to chart in the UK, reaching the top 60 there. It was also the first 12" single released anywhere by the band when it was released in the UK in that format, though it was the edited version. All initial releases of the single had a B-side of "Questions of My Childhood," continuing the tradition of Kansas and many other bands with multiple songwriters of putting a song by the band's other primary writer on the B-side of any single. The song was later re-released on the Kansas compilation albums The Best of Kansas

The Best of Kansas

The Best of Kansas is the first compilation album and 11th album overall from the American rock band Kansas. It was originally released in 1984, and featured one new track, "Perfect Lover," written and performed by then-lead vocalist John Elefante...

, On the Other Side, The Kansas Boxed Set

The Kansas Boxed Set

The Kansas Boxed Set is the third compilation from the band Kansas. It was originally released in 1994, and was the band's first boxed set overview of their career, emphasizing only their progressive rock era which was bracketed by the albums Kansas in 1974 and Audio-Visions in 1980. It also...

, The Ultimate Kansas

The Ultimate Kansas

The Ultimate Kansas is the fourth compilation from the band Kansas. It was originally released in 2002, and focuses solely on their Kirshner period from their debut album Kansas in 1974, up to and including Drastic Measures in 1983...

, and Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection

Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection

Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection is the fifth compilation from the band Kansas, originally released in 2004. Along with two CDs that include tracks from each one of the band's studio albums, the compilation also includes a 16-track companion DVD which features numerous television...

. It was also included on the live Kansas albums Two for the Show, Live at the Whisky

Live at the Whisky

-Track listing:#"Introduction" – 1:04#"Howlin' at the Moon" from "Magnum Opus" – 1:31#"Paradox" – 4:11#"Point of no Return" – 4:44#"Song for America" – 8:57...

, King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Kansas

King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Kansas

King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Kansas is the third live album, and the 19th album overall, from American rock band Kansas, released in 1998 . In 2003, the album was re-titled and re-released as Greatest Hits Live...

, Dust in the Wind

Dust in the Wind (album)

Dust in the Wind is a live album from American rock band Kansas, released in 2001.-Track listing:#"Miracles Out of Nowhere" – 6:47#"Paradox" – 4:11#"One Big Sky" – 6:06#"T.O...

, Device, Voice, Drum

Device, Voice, Drum

Device, Voice, Drum is the fourth live album, and 21st album overall, by American rock band Kansas, released in 2002 . It is a double-CD companion to the DVD of the same name....

, and There's Know Place Like Home

There's Know Place Like Home

There's Know Place Like Home is Kansas' fifth live and 26th overall album. It was released as a double CD and also on DVD on October 13, 2009 and Blu-ray on November 23, 2009...

, along with the DVD companions to Device, Voice, Drum and There's Know Place Like Home.
This song is 96th on VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs

The Greatest (TV series)

The Greatest is a VH1 series. Each episode counts down either songs, albums, music videos, moments, musicians, or celebrities of a particular category.-Episodes:-References:...

.

Chart performance

Chart (1976)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	11
Canadian RPM Top Singles	5
United Kingdom Singles Chart	51