Steal Away (Robbie Dupree song)

Last updated
"Steal Away"
Steal Away - Robbie Dupree.jpg
Single by Robbie Dupree
from the album Robbie Dupree
B-side "I'm No Stranger"
ReleasedApril 1980
Recorded1979
Genre Soft rock, yacht rock
Length3:34 (album version)
3:21 (single version)
Label Elektra
Songwriter(s) Robbie Dupree, Rick Chudacoff
Producer(s) Peter Bunetta, Rick Chudacoff
Robbie Dupree singles chronology
"Steal Away"
(1980)		"Hot Rod Hearts"
(1980)

"Steal Away" is a song by American singer Robbie Dupree, from his 1980 debut album Robbie Dupree. Released as the first single from the album, it became his biggest hit, peaking at No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 5 on the Adult Contemporary chart. [1] In Canada, the song reached No. 14 on the Pop chart and spent three weeks at No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart. [2]

Contents

In 2009, VH1 ranked "Steal Away" placed at No. 64 on their retrospective list 100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s. [3] This is despite Dupree having had a second top 40 hit with his No. 15-peaking single "Hot Rod Hearts".

History and song information

The song was released by Dupree in 1980. It immediately charted in the top 20, becoming a big hit during the summer of 1980 and the driving force on his debut album. [4] In 1991, John D'Agostino of the Los Angeles Times described the song as "a blatant, wimpy rip-off of the Michael McDonald/Kenny Loggins' composition "What a Fool Believes". [5] The Washington Post noted similarities in both Dupree's vocal style and backing keyboards to "What a Fool Believes", mentioning that McDonald's publishers sought legal action, although McDonald himself did not accuse Dupree of stealing his song. [6]

In 2014 the song was used in the pilot episode of American television comedy drama series Red Oaks .

In 2017 the song was used in the American television crime drama series, Better Call Saul , in season 3, episode 10, titled "Lantern."

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1980)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [7] 24
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary [8] (3wks@2)2
Canada RPM Top Singles [9] (2wks@14)14
US Billboard Hot 100 [10] 6
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs [10] 85
US Billboard Adult Contemporary [10] 5

Year-end charts

Year-end chart (1980)Rank
Canada [11] 92
US Billboard Hot 100 [12] 26

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 83.
  2. ↑ Library and Archives of Canada (July 17, 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly". bac-lac.gc.ca.
  3. ↑ Greenblatt, Leah (December 20, 2019). "VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the '80s: Do You Agree? | EW.com". EW.com. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  4. ↑ Chicago Top 40 Charts 1980. RP Smith. 2002
  5. ↑ D'Agostino, John (June 13, 1991). "Michael McDonald brings his new band to Humphrey's tonight". Los Angeles Times .
  6. ↑ Harrington, Richard (1980-09-28). "Singing All the Way to Court". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  7. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 97. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  8. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1980-08-30. Retrieved 2019-07-26.
  9. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1980-07-19. Retrieved 2025-04-13.
  10. 1 2 3 "Robbie Dupree Steal Away Chart History". Billboard .
  11. ↑ "Top 100 Singles (1980)". RPM . Retrieved 2017-07-21.
  12. ↑ "1980 Talent in Action – Year End Charts : Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 92, no. 51. December 20, 1980.


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.