Convoy (song)

Last updated

"Convoy"
McCall - Convoy.jpg
Single by C. W. McCall
from the album Black Bear Road
B-side "Long Lonesome Road"
ReleasedNovember 1975
Recorded1975
Genre
Length3:49
Label MGM
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Don Sears
  • Chip Davis
C. W. McCall singles chronology
"Black Bear Road"
(1975)		"Convoy"
(1975)		"There Won't Be No Country Music (There Won't Be No Rock 'n' Roll)"
(1976)

"Convoy" is a 1975 novelty song performed by C. W. McCall (a character co-created and voiced by Bill Fries, along with Chip Davis) that became a number-one song on both the country and pop charts in the US and is listed 98th among Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time. [1] Written by McCall and Chip Davis, the song spent six weeks at number one on the country charts [2] and one week at number one on the pop charts. The song went to number one in Canada as well, hitting the top of the RPM Top Singles Chart on January 24, 1976. [3] "Convoy" also peaked at number two in the UK. The song capitalized on the fad for citizens band (CB) radio. The song was the inspiration for the 1978 Sam Peckinpah film Convoy , for which McCall rerecorded the song to fit the film's storyline. [4]

Contents

The song received newfound popularity with its use during the 2022 Freedom Convoy. [5] [6] [7] In a call with WRIF's Drew & Mike Show shortly before he died, Fries expressed enthusiasm over the Freedom Convoy's use of his song "only because his biggest hit [was] getting a second life." [8] [9]

Plot

The song consists of three types of interspersed dialogue: a simulated CB conversation with CB slang, the narration of the story, and the chorus. It is about a fictional trucker rebellion that drives from the West Coast to the East Coast of the United States without stopping. [10] What they are protesting (other than the 55 mph speed limit, then recently introduced in response to the 1973 oil crisis) is shown by lines such as "we tore up all of our swindle sheets" (CB slang for log sheets used to record driving hours; the term referred to the practice of falsifying entries to show that drivers were getting proper sleep when, in reality, the drivers were driving more than the prescribed number of hours before mandatory rest) and "left 'em sittin' on the scales" (CB slang for US Department of Transportation weigh stations on Interstates and highways to verify the weight of the truck and the drivers' hours of working through log books). The song also refers to toll roads: "We just ain't a-gonna pay no toll." [11]

The conversation is between "Rubber Duck", "Pig Pen", and "Sodbuster", primarily through Rubber Duck's side of the conversation. The narration and CB chatter are by McCall. [12]

At the beginning of the song, Rubber Duck is the "front door" (the leader) of three semi-trailer trucks (tractor and semi-trailer) when he realizes they have a convoy. Following the Rubber Duck, Pig Pen brings up the rear (the "back door") in a "'Jimmy' haulin' hogs" (a truck powered by a two-stroke Detroit Diesel engine-A.K.A. Screamin' Jimmy, after Detroit Diesel's then-owner General Motors [13] -with a livestock semi-trailer loaded with live pigs). The two other trucks are a Kenworth pulling logs, and a cab-over Peterbilt with a "reefer" (refrigerated trailer) attached; the lyrics are unclear which one of the two the Rubber Duck was driving (the sequel song "'Round the World with the Rubber Duck" more strongly implies he indeed is driving the Peterbilt, [14] which would be consistent with McCall's previous songs and commercials portraying him as a bread truck driver [15] ).

The convoy begins at night on June 6 on "I-one-oh" (I-10) just outside "Shakeytown" (Los Angeles, California), as the Rubber Duck informs the two trucks that "it's clean clear to Flagtown" (Flagstaff, Arizona) and that he is going to "put the hammer down" ("hammer" being the accelerator pedal) as the convoy plans to "cross the USA." By the time they get to "Tulsatown" (Tulsa, Oklahoma), there are 85 trucks and the "bears / Smokeys" (state police, specifically the highway patrol, who commonly wear the same campaign hats as the United States Forest Service mascot Smokey Bear) have set up a road block on the cloverleaf interchange and have a "bear in the air" (police helicopter). The convoy moves onto Interstate 44, and by the time they reach "Chi-town" (Chicago, Illinois), the convoy—now 1,001 vehicles strong—includes a driver with the handle "Sodbuster", a "suicide jockey" (truck hauling explosives, in this case dynamite), and "11 long-haired friends of Jesus" in a "chartreuse (Volkswagen) Microbus". Rubber Duck directs the Microbus behind the dynamite truck for divine protection. Meanwhile, the police have called out "reinforcements from the 'Illi-noise' (Illinois) National Guard" and have filled the "chicken coops" (weigh stations) in an effort to stall and/or break up the convoy. Rubber Duck tells the convoy to disregard the toll as they head for the state border and continue east toward the New Jersey shore, crashing through the toll gate at 98 miles per hour (158 km/h), well above the national 55 mph limit in place at the time, in the process.

The song's running gag has Rubber Duck complaining about the smell of the hogs that Pig Pen is hauling. He repeatedly asks the offending driver to "back off" (slow down). By the end, Pig Pen has fallen so far back, when Rubber Duck is in New Jersey, Pig Pen got detached from the convoy between Tulsa and Chicago and ended up in Omaha, Nebraska (a reference to the headquarters of American Gramaphone, which released the song, as well as Bozell & Jacobs, who created the C. W. McCall character; Omaha is infamous for its slaughterhouses, which a truck with cargo like the hogs hauled by Pig Pen would likely head to).

Chart history

Sequel

McCall's "'Round the World with the Rubber Duck" is the sequel to "Convoy". [36] In this continuation, the convoy leaves the U.S. and travels around the world, through Britain, France, West and East Germany, the USSR, Japan, and Australia. [37]

Remakes and covers

Paul Brandt version

The song was covered in 2004 by Paul Brandt. [42] The video features Brandt and fellow country singers Jason McCoy and Aaron Lines as well as then Calgary Flames defencemen Mike Commodore and Rhett Warrener as truckers and George Canyon, of Nashville Star fame, as the highway patrol officer. The video was seen on CMT in both Canada and the United States. It was filmed at CFB/ASU Wainwright on Airfield 21. The song appears on the 2004 album This Time Around .

Brandt also recorded a Christmas version called "Christmas Convoy", which appears on the 2006 holiday album A Gift . In this version, the convoy helps Santa deliver his toys after a bad storm.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. W. McCall</span> Artist, singer-songwriter and mayor

William Dale Fries Jr. was an American commercial artist who won several Clio Awards for his advertising campaigns. He was also a musician and is best known for his character C. W. McCall, a truck-driving country singer that he originally created for a series of bread commercials. Fries performed as McCall in a series of outlaw albums and songs in the 1970s, in collaboration with co-worker Chip Davis who also founded Mannheim Steamroller.

<i>Convoy</i> (1978 film) 1978 film by Sam Peckinpah

Convoy is a 1978 American road action comedy film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine, Burt Young, Madge Sinclair and Franklyn Ajaye. The film is based on the 1975 country and western novelty song "Convoy" by C. W. McCall. The film was made when the CB radio/trucking craze was at its peak in the United States, and followed the similarly themed films White Line Fever (1975) and Smokey and the Bandit (1977). The film received mixed reviews from critics; however, it was the most commercially successful film of Peckinpah's career.

This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1976.

A rubber duck is a rubber or a plastic duck-shaped bath toy.

"'Round the World with the Rubber Duck" is a 1976 novelty song performed by C.W. McCall. The song serves as sequel to, and parody of, McCall's previous song "Convoy."

Woodrow Wilson "Red" Sovine was an American country music singer and songwriter associated with truck driving songs, particularly those recited as narratives but set to music. His most noted examples are "Giddyup Go" (1965) and "Teddy Bear" (1976), both of which topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

<i>Rubber Duck</i> (album) 1976 studio album by C. W. McCall

Rubber Duck is an album by country musician C. W. McCall, released on Polydor Records in 1976. It is his fourth album, released the same year as Wilderness, but concentrating on the themes the McCall character was popular for – trucking, as opposed to the various depictions of nature that could be found in Wilderness. Among others, the album contains the song "'Round the World with the Rubber Duck", a sequel to McCall's earlier wildly popular hit "Convoy", with many humorous and absurd elements added. "Audubon" is a quasi-autobiographical song, while "Ratchetjaw" is a take on trucker slang, with a multitude of CB-related terminology included in the lyrics.

<i>Lovin and Learnin</i> 1976 studio album by Tanya Tucker

Lovin' and Learnin' is the fifth studio album by American country music singer Tanya Tucker. It was released on January 5, 1976, by MCA Records. The album was produced by Jerry Crutchfield and includes two top five singles, "Don't Believe My Heart Can Stand Another You" and "You've Got Me to Hold On To".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhinestone Cowboy</span> 1975 single by Glen Campbell

"Rhinestone Cowboy" is a song written and recorded by Larry Weiss in 1974, then popularized the next year by American country music singer Glen Campbell. When released on May 26, 1975, as the lead single and title track from his album Rhinestone Cowboy, it enjoyed huge popularity with both country and pop audiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Brokop</span> Musical artist

Lisa Ann Brokop is a Canadian country music singer/songwriter and actress. Active since 1990 in the country music field, she has released a total of seven studio albums and has charted more than twenty singles on the country music charts in her native Canada. Several of these singles have also crossed over to the American country music charts, although she has not entered the Top 40 in the U.S.; her highest-charting songs, "Give Me a Ring Sometime" and "Take That", both peaked at No. 52 in 1994. Her highest chart single is the No. 8 "Better Off Broken" from 1999 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturday Night (Bay City Rollers song)</span> 1973 single by Bay City Rollers

"Saturday Night" is a song recorded by the Scottish pop rock band Bay City Rollers. It was written and produced by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter. The tune is an upbeat rock number with a memorable hook, in which the word "Saturday" is spelled out in a rhythmic, enthusiastic chant.

Rod Hart Sr. was a one-hit wonder who scored a minor hit single in 1977, "C.B. Savage", which charted on both the US Billboard magazine pop and country charts. It is an answer song to "Convoy", a major hit in 1976. The song was a gay-themed takeoff on the citizens band radio fad and featured a "smokey" pretending to be a gay truck driver over the CB radio; the patrolman's masquerade distracts the lead trucker in a convoy who is listening to him, allowing the highway patrol to bust the 5-truck convoy for speeding. Allmusic called it "one of the most bizarre country novelty hits of all time." It appeared on his album Breakeroo!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eres tú</span> 1973 song by Juan Carlos Calderón

"Eres tú" is a popular Spanish language song written in 1973 by Juan Carlos Calderón and performed by the Spanish band Mocedades, with Amaya Uranga performing the lead vocal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teddy Bear (Red Sovine song)</span> 1976 single by Red Sovine

"Teddy Bear" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Red Sovine. It was released in June 1976 as the title track to Sovine's album of the same name.

"The White Knight" is a novelty country music song made famous by Jay Huguely, who - recording as Cledus Maggard & The Citizen's Band - enjoyed a brief run of national popularity with the song when it became popular in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Six Days on the Road</span>

"Six Days on the Road" is an American song written by Earl Green and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio songwriter Carl Montgomery, made famous by country music singer Dave Dudley. The song was initially recorded by Paul Davis and released in 1961 on the Bulletin label. In 1963, the song became a major hit when released by Dudley, peaking at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and cracking the Top 40 (#32) on the Hot 100, leading to it being hailed as the definitive celebration of the American truck driver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'd Really Love to See You Tonight</span> 1976 single by England Dan & John Ford Coley

"I'd Really Love to See You Tonight" is a song written by Parker McGee and recorded by England Dan & John Ford Coley from their 1976 album Nights Are Forever. It eventually peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks, behind Wild Cherry's "Play That Funky Music" and No. 1 on the Easy Listening chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 21 song for 1976. It also reached No. 26 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye</span> Song written by John D. Loudermilk

"Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" is a song written by John D. Loudermilk. It was first released in 1962 by Don Cherry, as a country song and again as a doo-wop in 1967 by the group The Casinos on its album of the same name, and was a number 6 pop hit that year. The song has since been covered by Eddy Arnold, whose version was a number 1 country hit in 1968, and by Neal McCoy, whose version became a Top 5 country hit in 1996.

Truck-driving country is a subgenre of country and western music. It is characterized by lyrical content about trucks, truck drivers or truckers, and the trucking industry experience. This includes, for example, references to truck stops, CB radio, trucker jokes, attractive women, romance, heartbreak, loneliness, stimulants and eugeroics, teamsters, roads and highways, billboards, inclement weather, traffic, ICC, DOT, car accidents, washrooms, etc. In truck-driving country, references to "truck" include the following truck types: 10 wheeler, straight truck, 18 wheeler, tractor (bobtail), semi, tractor-trailer, semi tractor trailer, big rig, and some others. Truck-driving country musicians include Dave Dudley, Red Sovine, Dick Curless, Red Simpson, Del Reeves, the Willis Brothers, Jerry Reed, C. W. McCall, Mac Wiseman, and Cledus Maggard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C.B. Savage</span> 1976 single by Rod Hart

"C.B. Savage" is a gay-themed novelty country song by the American singer-songwriter Rod Hart, from his album Breakeroo!. It peaked at #67 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving him his only entry on that chart. It was also the first of only three songs with the title "Savage", along with "Savage" by Megan Thee Stallion and Beyonce and "Savage Love" by Jason Derulo and Jawsh 685.

References

  1. ↑ "100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone . June 1, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 220.
  3. ↑ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Country Singer C.W. McCall of 'Convoy' Fame Dies at 93". Yahoo Sports. April 4, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  5. ↑ Barnett, Betsy (March 2, 2022). "We Got Us a Convoy: The Colorado Freedom Convoy Heads East on I70 on Thursday". Kiowa County Independent. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  6. ↑ Unterberger, Andrew (April 4, 2022). "Forever No. 1: C.W. McCall's 'Convoy'". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Country music star C.W. McCall dies at 93". MSN. April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  8. ↑ Dukes, Billy (February 17, 2022). "'Convoy' Singer C.W. McCall Is in Hospice". Taste of Country. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Drew And Mike – February 9, 2022 – The Drew and Mike Show". February 10, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  10. ↑ Ochs, Meredith (June 6, 2017). "How A Trucker's Protest Anthem Became A '70s Hit". NPR. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  11. ↑ Moore, Addie (April 28, 2020). "How C.W. McCall's 'Convoy' Became a Cultural Phenomenon". Wide Open Country. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  12. ↑ Unterberger, Andrew (April 4, 2022). "Forever No. 1: C.W. McCall's 'Convoy'". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  13. ↑ Jensen, James. "Detroit Diesel - North American Diesel icon". Dieselduck.info.
  14. ↑ "'Round The World With The Rubber Duck". The Works of C.W. McCall : Rubber Duck. TechRen Enterprises. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2009. ...And them cab-over Petes don't float.
  15. ↑ Ligo, Joe (May 19, 2021). "The 1970s Trucking Craze Can Be Traced Back to a Regional TV Commercial for Bread". The Drive. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  16. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1976". Kent Music Report. December 27, 1976. Retrieved January 11, 2022– via Imgur.
  17. ↑ C.W. MCCALL - CONVOY - austriancharts.at Retrieved 2023-04-28
  18. ↑ "RPM Country Playlist - January 17, 1976" (PDF).
  19. ↑ "RPM Top Singles - January 24, 1976" (PDF).
  20. ↑ "RPM Pop Music Playlist - January 17, 1976" (PDF).
  21. ↑ C.W. MCCALL - CONVOY - germancharts.de Retrieved 2023-04-28
  22. ↑ C.W. MCCALL - CONVOY - lescharts.com Retrieved 2023-04-28
  23. ↑ irishcharts.com - C.W. McCall - ConvoyRetrieved 2023-04-28
  24. ↑ C.W. MCCALL - CONVOY - charts.nz Retrieved 2023-04-28
  25. ↑ CW MCCALL | full Official Chart History Retrieved 2023-04-28
  26. ↑ "C.W. McCall Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  27. ↑ "C.W. McCall Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  28. ↑ "C.W. McCall Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  29. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 1/31/76". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  30. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1976". Kent Music Report. December 27, 1976. Retrieved January 15, 2022– via Imgur.
  31. ↑ "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 26, No. 14 & 15, January 08 1977". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  33. ↑ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART.
  34. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  35. ↑ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1976". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2017.
  36. ↑ Christy, Richard (February 18, 1977). "Record Reviews". The Kingston Whig-Standard (Kingston, Ontario, Canada). p. 42.
  37. ↑ C.W. McCall – 'Round The World With The Rubber Duck , retrieved April 28, 2023
  38. ↑ "The Bob Rivers Show with Bob Spike and Joe". Archived from the original on October 23, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  39. ↑ "Sheeler and Sheeler: Car Phone" . Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  40. ↑ "Álbumes originales de Mocedades: Amor de hombre". mocedades.com. Archived from the original on August 24, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  41. ↑ "Album: Amor de hombre de Mocedades en Los40.com". Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  42. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "This Time Around – Paul Brandt". Allmusic . Retrieved August 17, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.