Hitchin' a Ride (Green Day song)

"Hitchin' a Ride"
Single by Green Day
from the album Nimrod
B-side	"Sick of Me" "Espionage"
Released	September 29, 1997 (1997-09-29)
Studio	Conway (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Rock and roll [1] rockabilly [2] alternative rock [1] grunge [3]
Length	2:51
Label	Reprise
Composer(s)	Green Day
Lyricist(s)	Billie Joe Armstrong
Producer(s)	Rob Cavallo Green Day
Green Day singles chronology
"Brain Stew" / "Jaded" (1996) "Hitchin' a Ride" (1997) "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (1997)
Music video
"Hitchin' A Ride" on YouTube

"Hitchin' a Ride" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It was released in September 1997 as the first single from their fifth album, Nimrod , and is the second track on the album. The single reached number five on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, number nine on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.

The song was later featured as the fourteenth track on their International Superhits! (2001) and as the eighth track off of God's Favorite Band (2017).

Reception

PopMatters listed "Hitchin' a Ride" as the sixth best Green Day song, citing "Suiting its falling-off-the-wagon subject matter, "Hitchin’ a Ride" is a hellish yet exhilarating track that makes picking up a bottle look like probably not wisest idea one could have." ^[4]

Music video

The music video for "Hitchin' a Ride", directed by Mark Kohr, premiered on MTV on October 16, 1997. ^[5] Coherently with the subject of the song, the music video shows the band performing in a scenery reminiscent of Prohibition era, amongst suggestive characters in costumes.

"Hitchin' a Ride" can also be found on International Superhits!, Bullet in a Bible and Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band. The music video is included on International Supervideos! .

Track listings

1. "Hitchin' a Ride"
2. "Sick of Me" (non-LP track)
3. "Espionage" (non-LP track)

LP box set

A-side:

1. "Hitchin' a Ride"
2. "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"

B-side:

1. "Scattered"
2. "Uptight"

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Hitchin' a Ride" Chart (1997) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [6] 26 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [7] 23 Canada Rock/Alternative ( RPM ) [8] 1 Scotland (OCC) [9] 22 UK Singles (OCC) [10] 25 UK Rock & Metal (OCC) [11] 1 US Radio Songs ( Billboard ) [12] 59 US Alternative Airplay ( Billboard ) [13] 5 US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [14] 9

Year-end charts 1997 year-end chart performance for "Hitchin' a Ride" Chart (1997) Position US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard) [15] 55 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) [16] 45 1998 year-end chart performance for "Hitchin' a Ride" Chart (1998) Position US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard) [17] 88

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Hitchin' a Ride"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [18]	Gold	40,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Hitchin' a Ride"

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	August 1997	Radio	Reprise	[5]
United Kingdom	September 29, 1997	CD cassette		[19]
Japan	October 15, 1997	CD		[20]

See also

• List of RPM Rock/Alternative number-one singles (Canada)

References

1. "The 79 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1997". April 25, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
2. GillianG. Gaar (October 28, 2009). Green Day: Rebels With a Cause. Omnibus Press. p. 157. ISBN   978-0-85712-059-5.
3. Strength, Reed (October 28, 2016). "Ranking Green Day's 12 Albums". Paste Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
4. AJ Ramirez. "Nice Guys Finish Last: The Top 15 Green Day Songs". PopMatters. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
5. Rosen, Craig (September 20, 1997). "Green Day Grows Beyond Punk on 'Nimrod'". Billboard . p. 81. Retrieved January 19, 2025.
6. "Green Day – Hitchin' a Ride". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
7. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3362." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
8. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 7914." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
9. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
11. "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
12. "Green Day Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
13. "Green Day Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
14. "Green Day Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
15. "Best of '97: Mainstream Rock Tracks". Airplay Monitor . Vol. 5, no. 52. December 26, 1997. p. 28.
16. "Best of '97: Modern Rock Tracks". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 5, no. 52. December 26, 1997. p. 30.
17. "Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 36.
18. "Canadian single certifications – Green Day – Hitchin' a Ride". Music Canada . Retrieved October 18, 2023.
19. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week . September 27, 1997. p. 37.
20. "ヒッチン・ア・ライド | グリーン・デイ" [Hitchin' a Ride | Green Day] (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved September 22, 2023.