I'm Movin' On (Hank Snow song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the Scott Cain song, see I'm Moving On.

"I'm Movin' On" is a 1950 country standard written by Hank Snow. The song, a 12-bar blues, reached number-one on the Billboard country singles chart and was the first of seven number-one hits Snow scored throughout his career on that chart.

The song has four bars of verse followed by eight bars of chorus with the final lines referring back to the verse:

That big eight-wheeler rollin' down the track
Means your true-lovin' daddy ain't comin' back
I'm movin' on, I'll soon be gone
You were flyin' too high for my little old sky so I'm movin' on


"I'm Movin' On" was one of three in the history of the Billboard charts to spend 21 weeks at No. 1, the others being 1947's "I'll Hold You in My Heart (Till I Can Hold You in My Arms)" by Eddy Arnold and 1955's "In the Jailhouse Now" by Webb Pierce. However, "I'm Movin' On" often gets the nod for being the top country song among the three for spending the most weeks in the top 10 (at 44); Pierce spent 34 weeks, while Arnold's song was in the top 10 for 41 weeks.

Contents

[edit] Cover versions

While Hank Snow's version was still on the charts, hillbilly comedians Lonzo and Oscar released a parody version:

I let a man work on my car
Till he grabbed aholt of the sparkplug wire
He's movin' on, he'll soon be gone
He turned it loose when he felt the juice, he's movin' on.

[edit] Ray Charles

The song was famously covered nine years later by Ray Charles, whose version hit number forty on the pop singles chart and number eleven on the R&B singles chart. Charles's version with his soul band featured congas and maracas, giving the Spanish tinge to a country and western blues. It was also recorded on his last recording session with Atlantic months before he signed with ABC.

Produced by Jerry Wexler, Charles provides the lead vocals, and is backed by the Raelettes. The Ray Charles Orchestra provided the instrumentation.

[edit] Other cover versions

Emmylou Harris took an uptempo live version of "I'm Moving On" to No. 4 in the spring of 1983.

The song was also covered by Chuck Prophet for a 2007 Jack Daniel's NASCAR television commercial.

It was covered by Elvis Presley in 1969.

There's also a version of Warren Smith. It's a medley with Hank Snow songs.

[edit] Succession

Preceded by
"Mississippi" by Red Foley		 Billboard Best Selling Retail Folk (Country & Western) Records
number one single by
Hank Snow and his Rainbow Ranch Boys
1950		 Succeeded by
"Goodnight Irene" by Red Foley and Ernest Tubb