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"Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)" | ||||
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Single by Waylon Jennings | ||||
from the album Music Man | ||||
B-side | "It's Alright" | |||
Released | August 1980 | |||
Recorded | 1980 | |||
Genre | Country, outlaw country | |||
Length | 2:06 | |||
Label | RCA 12067 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Waylon Jennings | |||
Producer(s) | Richie Albright Waylon Jennings | |||
Waylon Jennings singles chronology | ||||
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The "Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Waylon Jennings. It was released in August 1980 as the second single from the album Music Man . Recognizable to fans as the theme to the CBS comedy adventure television series The Dukes of Hazzard , the song became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1980.
As the narrator for the movie Moonrunners (1975), Jennings was tapped to serve in the same capacity for The Dukes of Hazzard which premiered on CBS in 1979 and was based on Moonrunners. Jennings wrote the theme song for the show and recorded two versions: the television theme version and a slightly different version made commercially available on both single and album which received radio airplay. [1]
The television show version features Larry McNeely's banjo work which the commercially available version does not. Additionally, the television version's third verse contains the lyric, "Fightin' the system like two modern-day Robin Hoods", which is accompanied by a "Yee-haw!" said by characters, Bo Duke (John Schneider) and Luke Duke (Tom Wopat), though it is in fact Schneider's vocal used twice.
The commercially available version receiving radio airplay contains a musical bridge which follows the first verse and chorus. Also, following the commercial version's second chorus, Jennings makes a tongue-in-cheek reference to his faceless appearance in the credits by singing, "I'm a good ol' boy, you know my mama loves me, but she don't understand, they keep-a showin' my hands and not my face on TV" (a statement referring to the opening shot in the television theme version where Jennings is only shown below the neck playing guitar).
Most of Jennings' greatest hits albums and various compilation releases containing the "Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)" feature the commercially available version.
In November 1980, "Theme from The Dukes of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)" became Jennings' twelfth #1 country hit overall (tenth as a solo recording act). The song spent seventeen weeks on the Billboard country singles charts and became his biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #21. [2] It also appeared on several other music charts. The original 1980 single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales over a million. Subsequent to the 2005 movie, the song was certified platinum in 2007 for a million ringtone sales. [3] Note: the certification sales qualification levels had been changed in 1989.
Chart (1980) | Peak position |
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New Zealand Singles Chart | 26 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 2 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [4] | 21 |
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [5] | 1 |
U.S. Cashbox Top 100 | 22 |
The song was covered by the Swedish Lo-fi-group Loosegoats on their demo For Sale by Owner but has never been featured on any of their full-length albums.
Rapper Lil Wyte sampled the song on his song "Comin' Yo Direction" off his album Doubt Me Now .
The song was frequently covered live by Ween during their brief country phase.
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Waylon Jennings' son Shooter Jennings is known for singing "Good ol' Boys" at the Dukefests, which honor the series, and his late father.
Along with Willie Nelson and Ben L. Jones (Cooter on the series), Waylon Jennings sang the song in an extended version.
Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song while driving The General Lee for their album The Chipmunks Go Hollywood (1982).
In 2006, John Schneider (Bo Duke), Tom Wopat (Luke Duke), and Catherine Bach (Daisy Duke) made a music video, as seen on the 7th Season DVD of the series. Schneider also covered the song. [6]
In The Dukes of Hazzard film adaptation (2005), a recording of Waylon Jennings was used in one scene, also, as heard on the soundtrack, by Willie Nelson (Uncle Jesse in the film).
In the film The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning (2007), country singer John Anderson sings the theme.
Rock band Cage9, performed a cover version of the song was heard in the trailers from the same two films.
Nike used the song in an advertising campaign featuring NFL star Randy Moss and NBA star Jason Williams, who were teammates in the same high school in rural Belle, West Virginia.
The song was featured in Supernatural season 15's "Last Call" where it was sung by Jensen Ackles and Christian Kane as their characters Dean Winchester and Lee Webb.
Josh Turner released a version of the song on his Country State Of Mind cd
Mexican country group The Forasteros covers the theme song live.
John Schneider has released 2 album versions and sung the song with Ray Stevens and several others through the years.
Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He is considered one of the pioneers of the outlaw movement in country music.
The Dukes of Hazzard is an American action comedy television series created by Gy Waldron that aired on CBS from January 26, 1979, to February 8, 1985, with a total of seven seasons consisting of 147 episodes. It was consistently among the top-rated television series in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
The Dukes is a 30-minute Saturday morning animated series based on the live-action television series The Dukes of Hazzard which aired on CBS from February 5 to October 29, 1983. Hanna-Barbera Productions produced the series in association with Warner Bros. Television, producer of the original series. 20 episodes were produced.
John Richard Schneider is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his portrayal of Beauregard "Bo" Duke in the American television action/comedy series The Dukes of Hazzard, Jonathan Kent in the 2001–2011 TV series Smallville, and James "Jim" Cryer on the television series The Haves and the Have Nots, created by Tyler Perry.
Beauregard "Bo" Duke is a fictional character in the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard, which ran from 1979 to 1985. He was played by John Schneider.
The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion! is a 1997 American made-for-television action-adventure film, reuniting the surviving cast members of the 1979–1985 television series The Dukes of Hazzard, which originally aired on CBS on April 25, 1997. The film was directed by Lewis Teague, written by series creator Gy Waldron, and produced by Ira Marvin and Skip Ward.
Moonrunners is a 1975 action comedy film starring James Mitchum, about a Southern family who runs bootleg liquor. It was reworked four years later into the popular long-running television series The Dukes of Hazzard, and the two productions share some similarities. Mitchum had co-starred with his father, Robert Mitchum, in the similar drive-in favorite Thunder Road 18 years earlier, which also focused upon moonshine-running bootleggers using fast cars to elude federal agents. Moonrunners, a B movie, was filmed in 1973 and awaited release for over a year. Its soundtrack reflects the outlaw music boom of the 1970s during which the film was released.
The Ramblin' Man is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1974.
Ol' Waylon is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings. It was released on RCA Victor in 1977. It eventually became one of Jennings' highest-selling albums, due in no small part to the phenomenal success of the chart-topping "Luckenbach, Texas ." It was also the singer's fourth solo album in a row to reach the top of the country charts, remaining there for thirteen weeks and becoming country music's first platinum album by any single solo artist.
What Goes Around Comes Around is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1979.
Music Man is a studio album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released in 1980 on RCA Victor.
Waylon's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2 is a compilation album by American country music artist Waylon Jennings, released on RCA Victor in 1984. It contains several songs recorded primarily in the later period of the singer's career, encompassing the late 1970s as well as the early 1980s. Although several relatively obscure tracks were included, the compilation also contains the hits "Theme from the Dukes of Hazzard " and "Don't You Think This Outlaw Bit's Done Got Out of Hand". "Looking for Suzanne", "America" and "Waltz Me to Heaven" are all previously unreleased Jennings recordings; the first of these made a reappearance on Jennings' Sweet Mother Texas (1986). "America" and "Waltz Me to Heaven" charted as singles, reaching #6 and #10, respectively, with a music video being released for the former; the album peaked at #27 on the country charts.
The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood is a 2000 American made-for-television action-adventure comedy film based on the 1979–1985 television series The Dukes of Hazzard which aired on CBS on May 19, 2000.
Classics is the fifth studio album by Canadian country music singer George Canyon. The album is a collection of classic country songs covered by Canyon. Of the album, Canyon said:
This is the album I've always wanted to make. It was a labor of love to record these songs that influenced me so many years ago. It was important for me to keep the arrangements true to the original in the hope that when people listen to this it recreates the magic I experienced when hearing these songs on the radio the first time round.
"Luckenbach, Texas " is a song recorded by American country music artist Waylon Jennings. It was released in April 1977 as the first single from the album Ol' Waylon. It was written by Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons.
"Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Waylon Jennings. It was released in August 1975 as the first single from the album Dreaming My Dreams. The song was Jennings' third number one on the country chart as a solo artist, and it remained at number one for one week and spent a total of sixteen weeks on the country charts. The song was one of many major hits for Jennings, and became an anthem of the outlaw country movement, as well as the wider genre.
"Good Hearted Woman" is a song written by American country music singers Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
"Just to Satisfy You" is a song written by American country music singers Waylon Jennings and Don Bowman in 1963. Jennings included the song in his performing repertoire, and on radio, where the song became a local hit in Phoenix, Arizona.
The following is a detailed discography of all singles released by American country music singer Waylon Jennings. A total of 16 Jennings' singles have reached number one on music charts.
"The General Lee" is a song co-written by and originally recorded by Johnny Cash for the 1982 soundtrack album to the television series The Dukes of Hazzard.