"Holiday Road" | ||||
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Single by Lindsey Buckingham | ||||
from the album National Lampoon's Vacation Original Motion Picture Sound Track | ||||
B-side | "The Trip (Theme from Vacation)" | |||
Released | June 24, 1983 | |||
Recorded | 1982 | |||
Genre | Rock and roll, boogie-woogie, pop rock | |||
Length | 2:11 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Lindsey Buckingham | |||
Producer(s) | Lindsey Buckingham, Richard Dashut | |||
Lindsey Buckingham singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Holiday Road" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Holiday Road" |
"Holiday Road" is a 1983 single composed and recorded by American guitarist/singer Lindsey Buckingham. Written for the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation ,it was also used in the film's sequels National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985), Vegas Vacation (1997) and Vacation (2015). Despite only peaking at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during its original release,it has since become one of Buckingham's best known songs. [1]
Buckingham released a live version of the song on his 2008 album Live at the Bass Performance Hall.
In July 2015,a remastered edition of "Holiday Road" was re-released,both on the Vacation soundtrack album and as a digital download along with "Dancin' Across the USA" from the original National Lampoon's Vacation soundtrack.
Following the release of Fleetwood Mac's 1982 album Mirage ,Buckingham was approached by Harold Ramis,who asked him to create two songs for Ramis's film National Lampoon's Vacation. Initially reluctant,believing that soundtrack work "wasn't part of his discipline",he ultimately decided to honor Ramis's request. Buckingham recorded "Holiday Road" without seeing the entire film,although he inferred that the movie "had to be somewhat uplifting and a little bit funny". As such,he added dog barks near the end of the song,unaware that the movie featured a scene where a dog is accidentally dragged to death from the bumper of a car. [2]
Upon hearing "Holiday Road",Ramis and producer Matty Simmons were surprised with how accurately the song addressed the movie's subject matter. During the same recording sessions as "Holiday Road",Buckingham also wrote "Dancin' Across the USA",a Mills Brothers pastiche intended for the movie's ending credits. [2]
"Holiday Road" debuted at number 92 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week dated August 6,1983. [3] During its fourth week on the Hot 100,"Holiday Road" reached its peak of number 82 and then slipped to number 99 on its fifth and final week on the chart. [4]
When asked in a 2017 interview if he was still fond of "Holiday Road",Buckingham replied that "It was one of those things that happened to work very well for the movie". [5] Buckingham elaborated in a later interview that he enjoyed recording "Holiday Road" and remembered that Ramis was "thrilled" when he first heard the song in the studio. [6]
Chart (1983) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Hot 100 [7] | 82 |
The song has been covered by pop punk bands Limp,the Aquabats,Whippersnapper,Matt Pond PA,and Dirt Bike Annie. The song was also covered by gothic country band Murder by Death in their holiday album Lonesome Holiday. The indie rock band the Walkmen performed a version of the song in November 2010 for The A.V. Club 's Holiday Undercover series. [8] In 2015,the country group Zac Brown Band covered the song for the soundtrack of the film Vacation . [9]
In 2013,"Holiday Road" was adopted as the unofficial playoff victory song of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, [10] who went on to win the Stanley Cup on June 24,the 30th anniversary of the song's release.
In 2014,the song was used as the music on television advertising for Teletext Holidays,a British travel agency. [11] The song appears under the closing credits of National Lampoon:Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead ,a 2015 American documentary film directed by Douglas Tirola about the magazine and its related franchises and influence. A version of the song with rewritten lyrics was used in Honda television commercials in 2017. [12] In 2023,the song appeared in the fourth episode of the second season of the FX television series The Bear . [13]
A parody of the song,"History Road",is used as a segment intro on the comedy podcast Dynamic Banter,hosted by Mike Falzone and Steve Zaragoza. The parody was made by and features the voice of their friend Owen Carter. [14]
Lindsey Adams Buckingham is an American musician,record producer,and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with Fleetwood Mac,Buckingham has released seven solo studio albums and three live albums. As a member of Fleetwood Mac,he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. Buckingham was ranked 100th in Rolling Stone's 2011 list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Buckingham is known for his fingerpicking guitar style.
Stephanie Lynn Nicks is an American singer-songwriter known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist.
National Lampoon's Vacation,sometimes referred to as simply Vacation,is a 1983 American road trip black comedy directed by Harold Ramis starring Chevy Chase,Beverly D'Angelo,Imogene Coca,Randy Quaid,John Candy,and Christie Brinkley in her acting debut with special appearances by Eddie Bracken,Brian Doyle-Murray,Miriam Flynn,James Keach,Eugene Levy,and Frank McRae.
Mirage is the thirteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac,released on 2 July 1982 by Warner Bros. Records. This studio effort's soft rock sound stood in stark contrast to its more experimental predecessor,1979's Tusk. Mirage yielded several singles:"Hold Me","Gypsy","Love in Store","Oh Diane",and "Can't Go Back".
Tango in the Night is the fourteenth studio album by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac,released on 13 April 1987. As a result of Lindsey Buckingham's departure later that year,it is the fifth and final studio album with the band's most successful lineup of Buckingham,Mick Fleetwood,Christine McVie,John McVie,and Stevie Nicks,though Christine McVie would make guest appearances on the band's 2003 album,Say You Will. This lineup was not seen again until 1997's live album The Dance.
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a 1989 American Christmas comedy film and the third installment in National Lampoon magazine's Vacation film series. Christmas Vacation was directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik,written and co-produced by John Hughes,and starring Chevy Chase,Beverly D'Angelo,and Randy Quaid with supporting roles by Miriam Flynn,William Hickey,Mae Questel,Diane Ladd,John Randolph,E.G. Marshall,Doris Roberts,Juliette Lewis,and Johnny Galecki.
"Don't Stop" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac,written by vocalist and keyboardist Christine McVie. The song was sung by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie,and it was a single taken from the band's hit album Rumours (1977).
National Lampoon's European Vacation is a 1985 American comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling and written by Robert Klane based on characters created by John Hughes. The second film in National Lampoon's Vacation film series,it stars Chevy Chase,Beverly D'Angelo,Dana Hill,Jason Lively,Victor Lanoux,and Eric Idle with special appearances by John Astin,Paul Bartel,Maureen Lipman,Willy Millowitsch,Mel Smith,and Moon Zappa. It tells the story of the Griswold family when they win an all-expense-paid trip to Europe as chaos of all sorts occur.
Richard Charles Dashut is an American record producer who produced several Fleetwood Mac albums including Rumours,Tusk,Live,Mirage,Tango in the Night,and Time.
"Trouble" is the debut solo single by Lindsey Buckingham,released in 1981 from his debut solo album Law and Order. The single was Buckingham's first hit as a solo artist,peaking at number nine in the US and number 31 in the UK,where it remained charted for seven weeks. In Australia,it topped the chart for three weeks and became the eighth biggest-selling single of 1982. It experienced similar levels of success in South Africa,reaching number one for two weeks and finishing 1982 as the country's 13th best-selling single.
"Go Your Own Way" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their eleventh studio album,Rumours (1977). The song was released as the album's first single in December 1976 in the United States. Written and sung by Lindsey Buckingham,it became the band's first top-ten hit in the United States. "Go Your Own Way" has been well received by music critics and was ranked number 120 by Rolling Stone magazine on their list of 500 greatest songs of all time in 2010,and re-ranked number 401 in 2021. They also ranked the song second on their list of the 50 greatest Fleetwood Mac songs.
Trouble in Shangri-La is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks. Released in 2001,it was her first new solo album since 1994's Street Angel. The album debuted at number five on the Billboard 200,Nicks' highest peak since 1983's The Wild Heart,with sales of 109,000 copies in its first week. The album remained in the top 10 in its second week holding the #9 spot and sold 76,000 copies. The album spent a total of 20 weeks on the Billboard 200. It achieved Gold status within six weeks of its release for shipping 500,000 copies in the U.S. As of February 2011,the album has sold over 663,000 copies in the US. Three singles were released:"Every Day","Planets of the Universe",and "Sorcerer".
"The Chain" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac,released on their 1977 album Rumours. It is the only song from the album with writing credits for all five members.
"Tusk" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from the 1979 double LP of the same name. The song peaked at number eight in the United States for three weeks,reached number six in the United Kingdom,number five in Canada,and number three in Australia. Lindsey Buckingham wrote the song and is the lead singer on the track.
"Rhiannon" (released as a single under the title "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)") is a song written by Stevie Nicks and originally recorded by the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac on their eponymous album in 1975;it was issued as a single the following year. The song's U.S. chart peak was in June 1976,when it hit no. 11. The song peaked at no. 46 in the UK singles chart for three weeks after re-release in February 1978.
"Big Love" is a song written by Lindsey Buckingham and performed by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. The song first appeared on the band's 1987 album Tango in the Night. The song was the first single to be released from the album,reaching number 5 in the US and number nine in the UK. The single was also a hit on the American dance charts,where the song peaked at number 7.
"Little Lies" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac from their 14th studio album,Tango in the Night (1987). It was written by band member Christine McVie and her then-husband,Eddy Quintela,with lead vocals performed primarily by McVie;the chorus features backing vocals by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The song was released in August 1987 by Warner Bros. Records,as the third single from Tango in the Night. McVie recalled that she wrote the song at her pool with a pad and paper;while Quintela was listed as one of the songwriters,McVie stated in an interview with MOJO that his role in the creation of "Little Lies" was minimal.
"Hold Me" is a 1982 song by the British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. It was the first track to be released as a single from the band's thirteenth album Mirage. Written by Christine McVie and Robbie Patton,McVie and Lindsey Buckingham shared lead vocals on the song. The single reached #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100,the band's first to break the top five since 1977.
"Oh Diane" is a song by British-American rock group Fleetwood Mac. It was written by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and Richard Dashut for the 1982 album Mirage,the fourth album by the band with Lindsey Buckingham. Buckingham wrote the song while the band was recording in Hérouville.
"Peacekeeper" is a song by Fleetwood Mac,written by guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Buckingham,from their 17th studio album,Say You Will (2003). It was the first and most commercially successful single released from the album. Buckingham shares vocals with bandmate Stevie Nicks. As of 2024,"Peacekeeper" was the band's most recent song to debut on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart,where it peaked at number 80.