Highway Song

Album: Strikes (1979)
Charted: 26
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This driving rocker was written by Blackfoot mainstays Rickey Medlocke and Jakson Spires. The highway that inspired the track is Route 81 in a stretch going north to New Jersey. This is not an inspiring stretch of road, but it's where Medlocke got the idea for the song as he was riding in the group's tour van.

    "We were right around Winchester, Virginia, and I started playing it," he said in his Songfacts interview. "I wrote the opening of the lyrics, 'Another day another dollar, after I've sang and hollered,' and it took off from there."
  • This was Blackfoot's biggest hit. The Jacksonville band placed one other song in the Top 40, "Train, Train," which is also on the Strikes album.
  • The third verse contains song titles from their first two albums:

    Yes these big wheels are ready to roll - "Big Wheels" from their first album No Reservations (1975).

    We've been flyin' high and so low - "Flyin' High," the title track of their 1976 album.

    All this madness ain't as crazy as it seems - "Madness" from Flyin' High.

    I'm just a stranger on this road - "Stranger on the Road" from Flyin' High.

    I stand alone only in my dreams - "I Stand Alone" from No Reservations.

Comments: 3

  • House Cutty from Ky. UsaTakes me right back!!!
  • Jaime A Rockstar Chic, With No Guitar from St.louis1979..what a great year, not only my birth year.but a good year for the strikes album.highway song...an excellent song that anyone who has traveled down the highways of life ... an relate to.
  • Tim from Raytown, MoWhy on the lyrics “All this madness ain’t as crazy as it seems” do I hear “ All the Spanish ain’t as French as it seems”?
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Melanie

MelanieSongwriter Interviews

The singer-songwriter Melanie talks about her spiritual awakening at Woodstock, "Brand New Key," and why songwriting is an art, not a craft.

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' Albums

We Will Rock You (To Sleep): Pop Stars Who Recorded Kids' AlbumsSong Writing

With the rise of Kindie rock, more musicians are embracing their inner child with tunes for tots - here, we look at pop stars who recorded kids' albums.

Michael Franti

Michael FrantiSongwriter Interviews

Franti tells the story behind his hit "Say Hey (I Love You)" and explains why yoga is an integral part of his lifestyle and his Soulshine tour.

Tom Keifer of Cinderella

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie Combination

Stand By Me: The Perfect Song-Movie CombinationSong Writing

In 1986, a Stephen King novella was made into a movie, with a classic song serving as title, soundtrack and tone.