"East Bound and Down" is a song written by Jerry Reed and Deena Kaye Rose,[a] and recorded by Reed for the soundtrack for the film Smokey and the Bandit. The song features Reed on the lead vocal, and vocalist Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires on the harmony vocal. It was released in August 1977 as a single on RCA Records. The song's lyrics tell the basic plot line of the movie (leaving out the runaway bride element) of making a 28-hour round-trip run from Atlanta, Georgia, to Texarkana, Texas, and back to illegally transport 400 cases of Coors beer for an after-race celebration.
| "East Bound and Down" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Side A of the Australian single | ||||
| Single by Jerry Reed | ||||
| from the album Smokey And The Bandit: Music from the Motion Picture | ||||
| B-side | "(I'm Just A) Redneck in a Rock and Roll Bar"[1] | |||
| Released | August 1, 1977 | |||
| Genre | Truck-driving country[2] | |||
| Length | 2:45 | |||
| Label | RCA Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jerry Reed, Deena Kaye Rose | |||
| Producer(s) | Jerry Reed | |||
| Jerry Reed singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song spent 16 weeks on the U.S. country music charts, reaching a peak of No. 2.[1] It also reached No. 3 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.
The "...and Down" in the title and lyric is CB radio jargon for driving with the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor, which is known as having the "hammer down". "I got the hammer down" or "I'm down" means "I'm driving as fast as I can". "[Direction] bound and down" remains a common sign-off for truckers on CB radio.
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1977–78) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100[3] | 3 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 2 |
Cover versions
edit- A variant version of the song, titled "West Bound and Down," was also recorded by Reed and included on the Smokey and the Bandit soundtrack. This variant is played during the westbound portion of the movie. The lyric "East bound and down -- loaded up and truckin'" is changed to "West bound and down -- eighteen wheels a-rollin'." The music and the rest of the lyrics remain the same.
- A cover was recorded in 2005 by Canadian country music group The Road Hammers. Other cover versions include Aaron Tippin, Supersuckers, Dave Dudley, and Tonic.
- The song was recorded by punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on their sixth album, Love Their Country.
- "East Bound and Down" was recorded by Jessy Lynn Martens for the TV series Archer under the pseudonym "Cherlene."
- "East Bound and Down" was recorded by the Supersuckers on their 2005 album Devil's Food.
- "East Bound and Down" was performed by Midland at the 52nd Country Music Association Awards in 2018. The band now regularly includes the song in their live shows.
- "East Bound and Down" was recorded by Po' Ramblin' Boys featuring Jason Carter & Bronwyn Keith-Hynes as a single in 2021.
- The Ford Motor Company revived the song's popularity as part of its F-Series truck advertisements in 2018, where a host of pickups from different years and towing various items, such as barbecue grills, a 1960s-era Ford Bronco, and a statue of the Big Boy mascot, is seen driving down the highway.
- An instrumental version of "East Bound and Down" was recorded by Herb Alpert on his 2023 album Wish Upon A Star.[4]
Notes
edit- ^ Credited as Dick Feller; the song was written and released before Rose came out as transgender.
References
edit- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 343. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Uitti, Jacob (May 10, 2023). "Top 10 Truck Driving Country Songs". American Songwriter. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004
- ^ Newman, Melinda (August 18, 2023). "Herb Alpert on Making His Grand Ole Opry Debut, Country Artists He Admires & Taylor Swift Tying His Six-Decade Record". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
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