Drivin' My Life Away
Encyclopedia
"Drivin' My Life Away" is a country
song by Eddie Rabbitt
. It reached number one on the Hot Country Singles
in 1980
, and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
The song, a look into to the life of the roadie
and the long periods of time they spend away from home, was featured on the soundtrack of the 1980 movie Roadie
starring Meat Loaf
and Art Carney
.
material, "Drivin' My Life Away" began his peak popularity as a crossover artist. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100
, and set the stage for his biggest career hit: "I Love a Rainy Night
," which reached the top on the country
, Hot 100
and adult contemporary
charts in early 1981. Two more crossover hits - "Step by Step" and "You and I" (the latter a duet with Crystal Gayle
) - followed in 1981 and 1982.
On Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart, it was his seventh out of 17 career chart toppers, spanning from 1976 through 1990.
"Drivin' My Life Away" was certified gold for sales of 1 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America
http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp
recorded a cover version of this song for the soundtrack to the 1998 movie Black Dog
. This cover, released with Lee Ann Womack
's "A Man with 18 Wheels" on the b-side, peaked at number 56 on the country music charts.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song by Eddie Rabbitt
Eddie Rabbitt
Edward Thomas "Eddie" Rabbitt was an American singer-songwriter and musician. His career began as a songwriter in the late 1960s, springboarding to a recording career after composing hits such as "Kentucky Rain" for Elvis Presley in 1970 and "Pure Love" for Ronnie Milsap in 1974...
. It reached number one on the Hot Country Singles
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
in 1980
1980 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1980.- Events :* January 25 — At age 84, octogenerian comedian George Burns becomes by far the oldest performer to have a single in the top 40 of Billboards Hot Country Singles chart with "I Wish I Was 18 Again." The...
, and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
The song, a look into to the life of the roadie
Road crew
The road crew are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians...
and the long periods of time they spend away from home, was featured on the soundtrack of the 1980 movie Roadie
Roadie (film)
Roadie is a 1980 film directed by Alan Rudolph about a truck driver who becomes a roadie for a traveling rock and roll show. The film stars Meat Loaf and marks his first starring role in a film. There are also cameo appearances by musicians such as Roy Orbison, Hank Williams Jr., Blondie and Alice...
starring Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
and Art Carney
Art Carney
Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney was an American actor in film, stage, television and radio. He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners....
.
Chart success
Although many of Rabbitt's successful songs were country-popCountry pop
Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...
material, "Drivin' My Life Away" began his peak popularity as a crossover artist. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, and set the stage for his biggest career hit: "I Love a Rainy Night
I Love a Rainy Night
"I Love a Rainy Night" is a rock song by Eddie Rabbitt. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Hot Country Singles, and Adult Contemporary Singles charts in 1981...
," which reached the top on the country
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
, Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and adult contemporary
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
charts in early 1981. Two more crossover hits - "Step by Step" and "You and I" (the latter a duet with Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle
Crystal Gayle is an American country music singer best known for her 1977 country-pop hit, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". An award-winning singer, she accumulated 18 number one country hits during the 1970s and 1980s...
) - followed in 1981 and 1982.
On Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart, it was his seventh out of 17 career chart toppers, spanning from 1976 through 1990.
"Drivin' My Life Away" was certified gold for sales of 1 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp
Chart performance
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks | 1 |
| Australian Kent Music Report | 100 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 2 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 45 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 2 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 27 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 22 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 3 |
Rhett Akins cover
In 1998, country music artist Rhett AkinsRhett Akins
Thomas Rhett Akins Sr. is an American country singer and songwriter. Signed to Decca Records between 1994 and 1997, he released two albums for the label , followed by 1998's What Livin's All About on MCA Nashville. Friday Night in Dixie was released in 2002 on Audium Entertainment...
recorded a cover version of this song for the soundtrack to the 1998 movie Black Dog
Black Dog (film)
Black Dog is a 1998 film about an ex-con manipulated into transporting illegal arms. The film stars Patrick Swayze, Randy Travis, and Meat Loaf.-Plot:...
. This cover, released with Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack is an American country music singer and songwriter, who is best known for her old fashioned-styled country music songs that often discuss subjects such as cheating and lost love....
's "A Man with 18 Wheels" on the b-side, peaked at number 56 on the country music charts.
Chart performance (Rhett Akins version)
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 56 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 61 |