One Headlight
| "One Headlight" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Wallflowers | ||||
| from the album Bringing Down the Horse | ||||
| B-side |
"6th Avenue Heartache" (Acoustic) "Angel on My Bike" (Live) | |||
| Released | November 1996 | |||
| Format | CD, 7" vinyl | |||
| Recorded | 1994 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
5:13 (Album Version) 4:38 (Single Version) | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jakob Dylan | |||
| Producer(s) | T-Bone Burnett | |||
| The Wallflowers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"One Headlight" is a song by American band The Wallflowers. The song was written by lead singer Jakob Dylan, and produced by T-Bone Burnett. It was released in November 1996 as the second single from the band's 1996 album, Bringing Down the Horse. In 2000, the song was listed at #58 on Rolling Stone and MTVs list of "100 Greatest Pop Songs of All Time".[2] The song is notable for being the first song to reach No. 1 on all three of Billboard's rock airplay charts - Alternative Songs, Mainstream Rock Songs and Adult Alternative Songs.[3]
Composition
According to some, the lyrics tell a fragmentary story about a former friend and her death, and the singer's emotions in the aftermath. The use of strong words and images and the incomplete story have resulted in many different interpretations of the song, which include suicide, drug abuse, death of a lover, death of one's mother, having breast cancer and/or depression.
However, Jakob Dylan has said that the song is about "the death of ideas."[4] Dylan explained that he and the band had very little support when they were putting together the record, hence the shout-out, "C'mon, try a little". The last two lines of the chorus "we can drive it home/ with one headlight" are a reference to how the band were able to get through with their ideas despite being hindered (i.e. with one headlight) by the lack of support.
Reception
The song won Grammy Awards in 1998, two years after its release in the categories Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. It was named "Best Video" for 1996 in a VH1 poll. The song was performed live on the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards with Bruce Springsteen, where the music video was nominated four times, including for "Viewer's Choice". The song would reach number 58 in MTV and Rolling Stone's 2000 list "The 100 Greatest Pop Songs Since the Beatles"[5] and was The Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll's 36th best song of the year.
Awards
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Grammy Awards | Best Rock Song | Won |
| Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | Won | ||
Music video
A music video directed by Ken Fox was shot for the song and premiered in late 1996.
Track listing
- "One Headlight" (Edit) – 4:38
- "6th Avenue Heartache" (Acoustic) – 4:57
- "Angel on My Bike" (Live) – 4:46
Chart performance
Although the song did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 due to the chart rules at the time, the song was a significant radio hit in the US. It spent five weeks at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart (it was held off the number 1 spot by Jewel's "You Were Meant for Me" and Hanson's "MMMBop") and a total of 70 weeks on this chart. It also was the first song to top these three Billboard airplay charts: Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, Hot Modern Rock Tracks, and Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks.[6]
Charts
| Chart (1996-1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[7] | 14 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] | 1 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[9] | 88 |
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company) | 54 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay[10] | 2 |
| US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks[11] | 1 |
| US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
| US Billboard Adult Top 40 | 1 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 30 |
| US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 | 2 |
Succession
| Preceded by "Blow Up the Outside World" by Soundgarden |
Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks number-one single February 1 – March 1, 1997 |
Succeeded by "Falling in Love (Is Hard on the Knees)" by Aerosmith |
| Preceded by "You Were Meant for Me" by Jewel |
Billboard Adult Top 40 Tracks number-one single May 24 – June 21, 1997 |
Succeeded by "Sunny Came Home" by Shawn Colvin |
Cover versions
- Country singers Lisa Brokop and Paul Jefferson recorded the song on their 2011 album, The Jeffersons, released in Canada.
- Relient K covered this song for inclusion on their 2011 cover album, Is for Karaoke.
- John Craigie covered it on his album Leave the Fire Behind.
- Paradise Fears covered the song for their Covers EP.
References
- ↑ "Ranking: Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit From Worst to Best". March 28, 2016. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
- ↑ Rolling Stone & MTV: '100 Greatest Pop Songs': 51-100 (compiled by VH1 in 2000)
- ↑ "Red Hot Chili Peppers' 'Dark Necessities' Only 4th Song to Top Mainstream Rock, Alternative & Adult Alternative Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
- ↑ Songfacts: One Headlight by The Wallflowers
- ↑ "Rolling Stone & MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs: 51-100". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 665.
- ↑ "Australian-charts.com – The Wallflowers – One Headlight". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ↑ "Top Singles - Volume 65, No. 5, April 07 1997". RPM. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
- ↑ "Musicline.de – The Wallflowers Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
- ↑ "The Wallflowers Song Chart History - One Headlight". Billboard (magazine). Retrieved 2010-07-24.
- ↑ "The Wallflowers Song Chart History - One Headlight". allmusic. Retrieved 2010-07-24.