Giddyup Go
Encyclopedia
"Giddyup Go'" is a country music song made famous by Red Sovine
. Released in 1965, the song was the title track to Sovine's album released that same year.
A recitation paying homage to the American truck driver, "Giddyup Go" became Sovine's second No. 1 hit, spending six weeks atop the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles
chart in January and February 1966.
The first big truck-driving hit from Sovine, "Giddyup Go" is the tale of an emotional father-son reunion at a highway truck stop. The reunion is played out near the end of the song.
In the setup, the elder truck driver -- who shares his experiences in first person -- explains that he had spent the better part of 25 years on the road, most of them alone. In the early years of his career, he notes, he had a wife and young son. It was the son's gibberish attempt to greet his father, while driving the truck, that inspired the name of the truck ("Giddyup Go"). The stress of her husband's frequent absences eventually takes its toll on the marriage, and one day, the trucker returns home to find both gone, without contact information or an explanation. In the years following, the trucker is left to explain to other truck drivers the "Giddyup Go" nameplate on his truck, his only link to his son.
In the present time, the truck driver is traveling along U.S. Highway 66 when he spots a new diesel rig with a nameplate reading "Giddyup Go." The father gets a lump in his throat, suspecting that he may have some connection to its driver. The two drivers meet at the next truck stop, and during the course of their conversation the boy explains that his mother had passed away and that he had lost contact with his father. He also reveals that the name of his "Giddyup Go" truck was inspired by a rig his father once owned. It is at this point where the elder trucker takes the younger man outside to reveal their connection. Afterward, an emotional reunion takes place between the two men, who realize they are father and son.
recorded an answer version of "Giddyup Go", titled "Giddyup Go Answer." A departure from her usual comic recordings, Pearl tells the story from the perspective of the manager of the truck stop where the father-son reunion takes place.
The story depicts the woman's friendship with the elder trucker's one-time wife, who had located to the area with her young son when the marriage broke up. It is explained that the woman had a terminal illness that required her to move to a drier climate and start a new life as a waitress. The years pass, her ex-husband never happens past the truck stop, and the woman's condition deteriorates further. On her deathbed, the woman tells her friend that she wishes for her son to become a truck driver, just like his father.
In the years following, the narrator watches the trucks drive by, wondering if the man that was at one time her friend's husband, will ever stop. Then comes the day where she gets her answer, when the two trucks pull into the parking lot of the truck stop; the song ends just as the father reveals the nameplate on his truck.
"Giddyup Go-Answer" reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in March 1966 and as Pearl's biggest hit, was her only charting single.
, Del Reeves
, Tex Williams
, Ferlin Husky
, and Austrailian country singer Nev Nicholls.
Red Sovine
Woodrow Wilson Sovine , better known as Red Sovine, was an American country music singer associated with truck driving songs, particularly those recited as narratives but set to music...
. Released in 1965, the song was the title track to Sovine's album released that same year.
A recitation paying homage to the American truck driver, "Giddyup Go" became Sovine's second No. 1 hit, spending six weeks atop the Billboard magazine 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...
chart in January and February 1966.
Story of "Giddyup Go"
Truck-driving songs had been a part of American country music since the late 1940s, and Sovine's label Starday Records had several artists who specialized in the sub-genre. But it took until 1965 when Sovine -- at the time, absent from the country music charts for nine years -- finally found his niche.The first big truck-driving hit from Sovine, "Giddyup Go" is the tale of an emotional father-son reunion at a highway truck stop. The reunion is played out near the end of the song.
In the setup, the elder truck driver -- who shares his experiences in first person -- explains that he had spent the better part of 25 years on the road, most of them alone. In the early years of his career, he notes, he had a wife and young son. It was the son's gibberish attempt to greet his father, while driving the truck, that inspired the name of the truck ("Giddyup Go"). The stress of her husband's frequent absences eventually takes its toll on the marriage, and one day, the trucker returns home to find both gone, without contact information or an explanation. In the years following, the trucker is left to explain to other truck drivers the "Giddyup Go" nameplate on his truck, his only link to his son.
In the present time, the truck driver is traveling along U.S. Highway 66 when he spots a new diesel rig with a nameplate reading "Giddyup Go." The father gets a lump in his throat, suspecting that he may have some connection to its driver. The two drivers meet at the next truck stop, and during the course of their conversation the boy explains that his mother had passed away and that he had lost contact with his father. He also reveals that the name of his "Giddyup Go" truck was inspired by a rig his father once owned. It is at this point where the elder trucker takes the younger man outside to reveal their connection. Afterward, an emotional reunion takes place between the two men, who realize they are father and son.
Chart performance
| Chart (1965–1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 82 |
Answer version
Minnie PearlMinnie Pearl
Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon , known professionally as Minnie Pearl, was an American country comedienne who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years and on the television show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1991.-Early life:Sarah Colley was born in Centerville, in Hickman County, Tennessee,...
recorded an answer version of "Giddyup Go", titled "Giddyup Go Answer." A departure from her usual comic recordings, Pearl tells the story from the perspective of the manager of the truck stop where the father-son reunion takes place.
The story depicts the woman's friendship with the elder trucker's one-time wife, who had located to the area with her young son when the marriage broke up. It is explained that the woman had a terminal illness that required her to move to a drier climate and start a new life as a waitress. The years pass, her ex-husband never happens past the truck stop, and the woman's condition deteriorates further. On her deathbed, the woman tells her friend that she wishes for her son to become a truck driver, just like his father.
In the years following, the narrator watches the trucks drive by, wondering if the man that was at one time her friend's husband, will ever stop. Then comes the day where she gets her answer, when the two trucks pull into the parking lot of the truck stop; the song ends just as the father reveals the nameplate on his truck.
"Giddyup Go-Answer" reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in March 1966 and as Pearl's biggest hit, was her only charting single.
Covers
Artists who have covered "Giddyup Go" include Dave DudleyDave Dudley
Dave Dudley , born David Darwin Pedruska, was an American country music singer best-known for his truck-driving country anthems of the 1960s and 1970s and his semi-slurred baritone. His signature song was "Six Days on the Road," and he is also remembered for "Vietnam Blues," "Truck Drivin'...
, Del Reeves
Del Reeves
Franklin Delano Reeves , better known as Del Reeves, was an American country music singer, best known for his "girl-watching" novelty songs of the 1960s including "Girl on the Billboard" and "The Belles of Southern Bell"...
, Tex Williams
Tex Williams
Sollie Paul Williams , known professionally as Tex Williams, was an American Western swing musician from Ramsey, Illinois....
, Ferlin Husky
Ferlin Husky
Ferlin Eugene Husky was an early American country music singer who was equally adept at the genres of traditional honky honk, ballads, spoken recitations, and rockabilly pop tunes...
, and Austrailian country singer Nev Nicholls.