Songfacts®:

• Fred, you can stay. Steve, you're OK. But Jack, you gotta go.
  
  This kiss-off anthem was written by Ray Charles' good friend Percy Mayfield, an R&B singer who was badly disfigured in a car accident soon after he started performing. Mayfield cut back his touring and made his mark as a prolific songwriter, with many of his compositions performed by Charles.
• "Hit The Road Jack" is one of Ray Charles' most popular songs, riding all the way to #1 in 1961. He also went to #1 in 1960 with "Georgia On My Mind" and in 1962 with "I Can't Stop Loving You."
  
  Charles pre-dates rock and roll and certainly influenced it. He started recording in 1949 and built a huge following in the '50s with songs like "I Got A Woman" and "What'd I Say." By the early '60s he was well known to white audiences and was one of the biggest names in music.
• This song runs an even 2 minutes but packs in a whole story, with Charles begging for forgiveness only to be rebuffed by his backing singers, who tell him to hit the road (Jack). In 1961 the British Invasion had yet to land and the charts were dominated by songs of many different styles, but upbeat tunes with a tinge of humor tended to do well. Other chart-toppers that year include "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean and "Mother-In-Law" by Ernie K. Doe.
• The solo backing vocals are by Margie Hendricks, who was one of Ray's backup singers, The Raelettes. They were lovers for a time, but the song is not about their relationship. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bertrand - Paris, France
• "Hit The Road Jack" has lots of uses as a statement, particularly at sporting events if a player is ejected. Hockey teams (especially in the minor leagues) often play it when a player on the opposing team is sent to the penalty box.
• This was the winner of the 1961 Grammy for Best Male Rhythm and Blues Recording. He picked up for awards the previous year for "Let The Good Times Roll" and "Georgia On My Mind."
• The Canadian group The Stampeders, best known for their hit "Sweet City Woman," released a novelty version of this song in 1976 that features a telephone conversation with disc jockey Wolfman Jack. Their version hit #40 in the US. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Cole - Moose Jaw, Sk
• This song is featured in the 1989 move The Dream Team where mental patients played by Christopher Lloyd, Peter Boyle, and a mulleted Michael Keaton sing it in a van as they embark on a field trip. Other movies to use it include:
  
  The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022)
  Charming the Hearts of Men (2021)
  Deadpool (2016)
  Escape from New Jersey (2010)
  Failure to Launch (2006)
  Speechless (1994)
  The Fisher King (1991)
  Cheech and Chong's Next Movie (1980)
  
  TV shows to use it include:
  
  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel ("Go Forward" - 2023)
  The Simpsons ("Forgive and Regret" - 2018)
  Nurse Jackie ("...Deaf Blind Tumor Pee-Test" - 2011)
  Moonlighting ("A Trip to the Moon" - 1987)
• Ray re-recorded this song as "Cross The Road Jack" for a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial in the '80s. Sample lyric: "No burger place you see, could do that thing for me."