The Ballad of Thunder Road
Encyclopedia
"The Ballad of Thunder Road" is a song performed and co-written by actor
Robert Mitchum
in 1957, with music by composer
Jack Marshall
. It was the theme song of the movie Thunder Road
. The song made the Billboard Hot 100 twice, in 1958 and 1962, and while it never peaked higher than #62, it racked up 21 total weeks in the chart. The song moves ominously between minor and major keys.
It tells the tale of "Lucas Doolin" (Robert Mitchum), a bootlegger during the 1950s who would deliver moonshine
along local roads at excessive speeds to avoid "revenuers
".
Lucas' father advises him for his next run to "make this run your last", and that he should not attempt to outrun the revenuers, but if he could not get through safely, to turn himself in. However, Lucas ignores his father's request, and attempts to outrun the law, but fails to evade them and dies as a result (the last lines read: "Then right outside of Bearden
, they made the fatal strike./He left the road at 90, that's all there is to say/The Devil got the moonshine and the mountain boy that day").
Mitchum got the tune for the song from a Norwegian folk-dance (Gammel Reinlender) song his mother used to sing to him. He also played the bootlegger in the movie.
Bluegrass performers Jim & Jesse
(McReynolds) brought the song to the national country charts in the fall of 1967.
The song in the movie soundtrack itself is a softer, more ballad-like version than the hit single recorded by Mitchum, and was sung by Randy Sparks
.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
in 1957, with music by composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Jack Marshall
Jack Marshall
Sir John Ross Marshall, GBE, CH, , generally known as Jack Marshall, was a New Zealand politician. After spending twelve years as Deputy Prime Minister, he served as the 28th Prime Minister for most of 1972....
. It was the theme song of the movie Thunder Road
Thunder Road
Thunder Road is the title of a 1958 drama–crime film about running moonshine in the mountains of Kentucky and Tennessee in the early 1950s. It was directed by Arthur Ripley and starred Robert Mitchum, who also produced the film, co-wrote the screenplay, and is rumored to have directed much of the...
. The song made the Billboard Hot 100 twice, in 1958 and 1962, and while it never peaked higher than #62, it racked up 21 total weeks in the chart. The song moves ominously between minor and major keys.
It tells the tale of "Lucas Doolin" (Robert Mitchum), a bootlegger during the 1950s who would deliver moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
along local roads at excessive speeds to avoid "revenuers
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
".
Lucas' father advises him for his next run to "make this run your last", and that he should not attempt to outrun the revenuers, but if he could not get through safely, to turn himself in. However, Lucas ignores his father's request, and attempts to outrun the law, but fails to evade them and dies as a result (the last lines read: "Then right outside of Bearden
Bearden (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Bearden is a neighborhood in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, located along Kingston Pike in West Knoxville. Developed primarily as an agrarian community in the 19th century, this neighborhood now lies at the heart of one of Knoxville's major commercial corridors...
, they made the fatal strike./He left the road at 90, that's all there is to say/The Devil got the moonshine and the mountain boy that day").
Mitchum got the tune for the song from a Norwegian folk-dance (Gammel Reinlender) song his mother used to sing to him. He also played the bootlegger in the movie.
Bluegrass performers Jim & Jesse
Jim & Jesse
Jim & Jesse were an American bluegrass music duo composed of brothers Jim McReynolds and Jesse McReynolds...
(McReynolds) brought the song to the national country charts in the fall of 1967.
The song in the movie soundtrack itself is a softer, more ballad-like version than the hit single recorded by Mitchum, and was sung by Randy Sparks
Randy Sparks
Randy Sparks is a musician, singer-songwriter and founder of The New Christy Minstrels and The Back Porch Majority. Prior to that, in the late 1950s he had a solo career and released two albums under the Verve label, a self-titled album in 1958 and Walking the Low Road in 1959...
.