455 Rocket

"455 Rocket"
"455 Rocket"
Single by Kathy Mattea
from the album Love Travels
B-side	"All Roads to the River"
Released	January 18, 1997
Genre	Country
Length	4:09
Label	Mercury Nashville
Songwriter(s)	Gillian Welch, David Rawlings
Producer(s)	Ben Wisch, Kathy Mattea
Kathy Mattea singles chronology

"455 Rocket" is a song written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, and recorded by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in January 1997 as the first single from the album Love Travels. The song reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.^[1]

Content[]

The song is about a woman who buys a used Oldsmobile with a powerful 455 V8 engine. Despite its flaws, which include a leaky roof and excessive noise, she enjoys racing and winning against local car enthusiasts. During one race, though, she skids on a curve and crashes through a guardrail; although she is unhurt, the car is badly damaged and has to be towed away.

Mattea noted of the song that the band recorded several takes, but decided to keep the first one because "no one thought they were being recorded, and everyone was just playing with abandon." She also noted that due to the nature of the recording, session musician Jim Keltner can be heard dropping his drumsticks at the end of the song and laughing.^[2]

Critical reception[]

Billboard magazine gave the song a mixed review, saying that it was "cleverly written" but that "neither Mattea's vocal energy nor the production pace infuses the song with the sass and sizzle the lyric suggests."^[3]

Personnel[]

From Love Travels liner notes.^[4]

Pat Buchanan - electric guitar
Jerry Douglas - Dobro
Stuart Duncan - mandolin
Bob Halligan Jr. - background vocals
Hutch Hutchinson - bass guitar, foot taps, knee slaps
Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson - harmonica
Jim Keltner - drums, maracas, foot taps, knee slaps
Kathy Mattea - vocals, foot taps, knee slaps
Don Potter - acoustic guitar
Kim Richey - background vocals

Chart performance[]

Chart (1997)	Peak position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)^[5]	16
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)^[6]	21

References[]

^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 217.
^ Flans, Robyn (2006). The Definitive Collection (CD booklet). Kathy Mattea. Mercury Records. B0007233-02.
^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
^ Love Travels (CD booklet). Kathy Mattea. Mercury Nashville. 1997. 314 532 899 2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 3159." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 24, 1997. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
^ "Kathy Mattea Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

External links[]

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

[1] Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 217.

[definitive-2] Flans, Robyn (2006). The Definitive Collection (CD booklet). Kathy Mattea. Mercury Records. B0007233-02.

[google-3] Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved April 1, 2015.

[liner-4] Love Travels (CD booklet). Kathy Mattea. Mercury Nashville. 1997. 314 532 899 2.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[sc_Canadacountry_-5] "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 3159." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 24, 1997. Retrieved July 17, 2013.

[sc_Billboardcountrysongs_Kathy_Mattea-6] "Kathy Mattea Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.

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show v t Kathy Mattea
Studio albums	Kathy Mattea From My Heart Walk the Way the Wind Blows Untasted Honey Willow in the Wind Time Passes By Lonesome Standard Time Walking Away a Winner Love Travels The Innocent Years Roses Right Out of Nowhere Coal Calling Me Home Pretty Bird
Christmas albums	Good News Joy for Christmas Day
Compilation albums	A Collection of Hits
Singles	"Love at the Five and Dime" "Walk the Way the Wind Blows" "You're the Power" "Train of Memories" "Goin' Gone" "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" "Untold Stories" "Life as We Knew It" "Come from the Heart" "Burnin' Old Memories" "Where've You Been" "She Came from Fort Worth" "The Battle Hymn of Love" (with Tim O'Brien) "A Few Good Things Remain" "Time Passes By" "Whole Lotta Holes" "Asking Us to Dance" "Lonesome Standard Time" "Standing Knee Deep in a River (Dying of Thirst)" "Walking Away a Winner" "Nobody's Gonna Rain on Our Parade" "Maybe She's Human" "Clown in Your Rodeo" "455 Rocket" "Love Travels"
Other songs	"(Back to the) Heartbreak Kid" "From a Distance" "Mary, Did You Know?"
Related articles	Discography Jon Vezner

show v t CMA Video of the Year
1985-1990	"All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" (1985) "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" (1986) "My Name is Bocephus" (1987) "There's a Tear in My Beer" (1989) "The Dance" (1990)
1991-2000	"The Thunder Rolls" (1991) "Midnight in Montgomery" (1992) "Chattahoochee" (1993) "Independence Day" (1994) "Baby Likes to Rock It" (1995) "My Wife Thinks You're Dead" (1996) "455 Rocket" (1997) "This Kiss" (1998) "Wide Open Spaces" (1999) "Goodbye Earl" (2000)
2001-2010	"Born to Fly" (2001) "I'm Gonna Miss Her (The Fishin' Song)" (2002) "Hurt" (2003) "Whiskey Lullaby" (2004) "As Good as I Once Was" (2005) "Believe" (2006) "Online" (2007) "Waitin' on a Woman" (2008) "Love Story" (2009) "The House That Built Me" (2010)
2011-2020	"You and Tequila" (2011) "Red Solo Cup" (2012) "Highway Don't Care" (2013) "Drunk on a Plane" (2014) "Girl in a Country Song" (2015) "Fire Away" (2016) "It Ain't My Fault" (2017) "Marry Me" (2018) "Rainbow" (2019) "Bluebird" (2020)