Hit the Road Jack
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2014) |
| "Hit the Road Jack" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Ray Charles | ||||
| B-side | "The Danger Zone" | |||
| Released | August 1961[1] | |||
| Recorded | June 1961 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 2:00 | |||
| Label | ABC-Paramount | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Percy Mayfield | |||
| Producer(s) | Sid Feller | |||
| Ray Charles singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Hit the Road Jack" is a song written by the rhythm and blues artist Percy Mayfield and first recorded in 1960 as an a cappella demo sent to music executive Art Rupe. It became famous after it was recorded by the singer-songwriter-pianist Ray Charles with The Raelettes vocalist Margie Hendrix, and eventually became one of Charles' signature songs.
Charles's recording hit number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, beginning on Monday, October 9, 1961. "Hit the Road Jack" won a Grammy award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording. The song was number one on the R&B Sides chart for five weeks, thereby becoming Charles's sixth number-one on that chart. The song is ranked number 387 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
The Chantels released an answer song, "Well, I Told You" which charted at #29.
The vocal sample and lyrics have been used in contemporary music. Both remixes and covers have added a modern context to the original song.
The Stampeders version[]
In 1976, Canadian band The Stampeders released a version of the song taken from their album Steamin' featuring DJ Wolfman Jack. The song reached #6 in Canada and #40 in the US.[2]
Charts[]
| Chart (1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] | 3 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] | 13 |
| New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade)[5] | 1 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[6] | 6 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[7] | 1 |
| US Hot R&B Sides (Billboard)[7] | 1 |
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[8] | 90 |
In popular culture[]
- The Ray Charles recording starts out the 1991 film The Fisher King, as part of Jack Lucas' radio show opener.
- The Buster Poindexter recording was produced for and used in the 1989 film The Dream Team and was also used in the end credits of Lars von Trier's 2018 horror film The House That Jack Built.
References[]
- ^ "Hit the Road Jack". 45cat.com. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. p. 847. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
- ^ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book (1940–1969). Turramurra: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Ray Charles – Hit the Road Jack" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
- ^ Lever Hit Parade, 30 November 1961
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Ray Charles – Awards". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Ray Charles – Hit the Road Jack" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
External links[]
| hide | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | |
| Posthumous studio creations | |
| Live albums | |
| Notable compilations | |
| Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles | |
| Other Billboard Charts #1 singles | |
| Grammy Awarded Works (not included above) | |
| See also | |
| |
Authority control  |
|
|---|
 | This 1960s R&B/soul music song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- 1960 songs
- 1961 singles
- ABC Records singles
- The Animals songs
- Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
- Cashbox number-one singles
- Number-one singles in New Zealand
- Paramount Records singles
- Ray Charles songs
- Songs written by Percy Mayfield
- Vocal duets
- 1960s rhythm and blues song stubs