Drift Away

Last updated
"Drift Away"
Song by Mike Berry
from the album Drift Away
Released1972
Length3:13
Label York
Songwriter(s) Mentor Williams
"Drift Away"
Driftawayjhk.jpg
Single by John Henry Kurtz
from the album Reunion
Written1970
Released1972
Genre Swamp rock
Length3:30
Label ABC
Songwriter(s) Mentor Williams
Producer(s)
  • Steve Barri
  • Dan Walsh
  • Harvey Price
John Henry Kurtz singles chronology
"Drift Away"
(1972)		"One Tin Soldier"
(1973)

"Drift Away" is a song written by Mentor Williams in 1970 and first recorded by British singer Mike Berry on his 1972 album Drift Away. A version by John Henry Kurtz was released two months later in November 1972. [1] [2] Mentor Williams was a country songwriter, and John Henry Kurtz was an actor and swamp rock singer. It was later given to soul singer Dobie Gray for whom it became a surprise international hit. In 1973, the song became Gray's biggest hit, peaking at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100 and receiving a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song has been covered by numerous musicians.

Contents

Dobie Gray version

"Drift Away"
Dobie Gray - DA.jpg
Single by Dobie Gray
from the album Drift Away
B-side "City Stars"
Released1973
Recorded1972
Genre
Length3:54
Label Decca
Producer(s) Mentor Williams
Dobie Gray singles chronology
"Rose Garden"
(1972)		"Drift Away"
(1973)		"Loving Arms"
(1973)

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [12] Gold1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

Narvel Felts version

"Drift Away"
Driftawaynarvelfelts.jpg
Single by Narvel Felts
from the album Drift Away
B-side "Foggy Misty Morning"
Released1973
Length3:15
Label Cinnamon
Producer(s) Farah Productions [13]
Narvel Felts singles chronology
"Rockin' Little Angel"
(1973)		"Drift Away"
(1973)		"All in the Name of Love"
(1973)

A country version was recorded by American country music and rockabilly singer Narvel Felts in 1973. Felts' version — which changed the lyrics "I wanna get lost in your rock and roll" to "I wanna get lost in your country song" — peaked at number 8 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in mid-August 1973, about three months after Gray's version reached its popularity peak. [14] This song marked Narvel's first success in the country scene, as he was known from the late 1950s as a rockabilly singer.

Charts (Narvel Felts)

Chart (1973)Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)48
US Hot Country Singles ( Billboard )8

Michael Bolton version

"Drift Away"
Driftawaybolton.jpg
Single by Michael Bolton
from the album Timeless: The Classics
ReleasedDecember 14, 1992 (1992-12-14) [15]
Recorded1992
Length6:07
Label Columbia
Producer(s)
Michael Bolton singles chronology
"To Love Somebody"
(1992)		"Drift Away"
(1992)		"Reach Out I'll Be There"
(1992)

American singer and songwriter Michael Bolton covered "Drift Away" and released it as the second single from his 1992 covers album, Timeless: The Classics , in December 1992 by Columbia. His rendition was produced by Bolton with David Foster and Walter Afanasieff. It became the only hit version of the song in the United Kingdom, where it reached number 18, and also charted in Ireland and New Zealand.

Charts

Chart (1992–1993)Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [16] 35
Europe (European Hit Radio) [17] 39
Ireland (IRMA) [18] 15
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [19] 23
UK Singles (OCC) [20] 18

Uncle Kracker featuring Dobie Gray version

"Drift Away"
Kracker - Drift Away cd single.jpg
Single by Uncle Kracker featuring Dobie Gray
from the album No Stranger to Shame
ReleasedJanuary 27, 2003 (2003-01-27)
Recorded2002
Length
  • 4:15 (album version)
  • 3:40 (radio edit)
Label Lava
Producer(s)
Uncle Kracker singles chronology
"In a Little While"
(2002)		"Drift Away"
(2003)		"Memphis Soul Song"
(2003)
Dobie Gray singles chronology
"Take It Real Easy"
(1987)		"Drift Away"
(2003)

American singer-songwriter Uncle Kracker released a cover version from his second studio album, No Stranger to Shame (2002), in January 2003. This version, which featured Dobie Gray singing the bridge and singing backing vocals and the final verse with Kracker, reached number nine on the Hot 100. The song was in the year-end top 20 just like the original 1973 version. It spent a then-record-setting 28 weeks atop the adult contemporary chart in the US. It also peaked at number 25 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Bronston Jones. Filmed in Kracker's hometown of Detroit, it shows him performing the song on stage to an audience (Dobie, during his parts, comes in to perform) and Kracker working at a garage (owned by his brother), unloading and stacking tires. Scenes also feature him walking alone on snowy railroad tracks, and singing on an empty stage in the garage. His mechanic's uniform is labeled "Matt," a reference to his real first name, Matthew.

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (2003–2004)Peak
position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [21] 25
US Billboard Hot 100 [22] 9
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [23] 1
US Adult Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [24] 2
US Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [25] 10
Year-end charts
Chart (2003)Position
US Billboard Hot 100 [26] 19
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) [27] 3
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard) [27] 2
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard) [28] 34
Chart (2004)Position
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) [29] 4

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United StatesJanuary 27, 2003 Hot adult contemporary radio Lava [30]
May 5, 2003 Contemporary hit radio [31]

Other cover versions

The Rolling Stones recorded a cover of the song during the sessions for their It's Only Rock 'n Roll LP in 1974, but it did not appear on the finished album. [32] It was finally given an official release in October 2021 as part of the Tattoo You reissue.

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "That's a Cover?: "Drift Away" (Dobie Gray / John Henry Kurtz / Mike Berry)". Cover Me. June 10, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Drift Away by Mike Berry" – via SecondHandSongs.
  3. ↑ "200 Greatest Soft Rock Songs". entertainment.expertscolumn.com.
  4. ↑ McIntyre, Ken (July 9, 2018). "Rock'N'Soul: 20 Soul Classics Rock Fans Will Love". Classic Rock . Future plc. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  5. ↑ Gray, Dobie, Dobie Gray: Drift Away, Loving Arms, Hey Dixie, BGO Records, BGOCD1004, liner notes, 2011
  6. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992 . St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  7. ↑ "Dobie Gray Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  8. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 101.
  9. ↑ Canada, Library and Archives (December 26, 2017). "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada .
  10. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  11. ↑ http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/70s_files/1973YESP.html Archived 2014-07-15 at the Wayback Machine Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1973
  12. ↑ "American single certifications – Dobie Gray – Drift Away". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Narvel Felts - Drift Away / Foggy Misty Morning - ABC - UK - ABC 4119". 45cat. 1976-05-14. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  14. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 143. ISBN   978-0-89820-177-2.
  15. ↑ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . December 12, 1992. p. 19.
  16. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 10, no. 3. January 16, 1993. p. 15. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  17. ↑ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 10, no. 4. January 23, 1993. p. 26. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  18. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Drift Away". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Michael Bolton – Drift Away". Top 40 Singles.
  20. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  21. ↑ "Uncle Kracker feat. Dobie Gray – Drift Away". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Uncle Kracker Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Uncle Kracker Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Uncle Kracker Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  25. ↑ "Uncle Kracker Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 – 2003". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
  27. 1 2 "Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 115, no. 52. December 27, 2003. p. YE-80. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  28. ↑ "The Year in Charts 2003: Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs". Airplay Monitor . Vol. 11, no. 51. December 19, 2003. p. 14.
  29. ↑ "Year in Music & Touring". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 52. December 25, 2004. p. YE-74. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records . No. 1488. January 24, 2003. p. 30. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1502. May 2, 2003. p. 26. Retrieved June 10, 2021.
  32. ↑ Stadler, Gustavus (25 June 2013). "Cover Art". Los Angeles Review of Books . Retrieved 23 April 2019.
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