Drivin' My Life Away

"Drivin' My Life Away" is a country song by Eddie Rabbitt. It reached number one on the Hot Country Singles in 1980, and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song, a look into to the life of the roadie and the long periods of time they spend away from home, was featured on the soundtrack of the 1980 movie Roadie starring Meat Loaf and Art Carney.

[edit] Chart success

Although many of Rabbitt's successful songs were country-pop material, "Drivin' My Life Away" began his peak popularity as a crossover artist. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, and set the stage for his biggest career hit: "I Love a Rainy Night," which reached the top on the country, Hot 100 and adult contemporary charts in early 1981. Two more crossover hits - "Step by Step" and "You and I" (the latter a duet with Crystal Gayle) - followed in 1981 and 1982.

On Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart, it was his seventh out of 17 career chart toppers, spanning from 1976 through 1990.

"Drivin' My Life Away" was certified gold for sales of 1 million units by the Recording Industry Association of America [1]

[edit] Cover versions

In 1998, country music artist Rhett Akins recorded a cover version of this song; his cover peaked at #56 on the U.S. Hot Country Songs charts. It was also featured on the soundtrack to the 1998 movie Black Dog, which also starred Meat Loaf, alongside Patrick Swayze.

[edit] References

Bronson, Fred, "The Billboard Book of Number One Hits" 5th ed. Billboard Publications, New York, 2003. ISBN 0823076776.
Roland, Tom, "The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits," Billboard Books, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1991 (ISBN 0-82-307553-2)
Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.
Whitburn, Joel, "Top Pop Singles: 1955-2006," 2007.

Preceded by "Tennessee River" by Alabama	Billboard Hot Country Singles number one single August 23, 1980 by Eddie Rabbitt	Succeeded by "Cowboys and Clowns"/"Misery Loves Company" by Ronnie Milsap