Driver's Seat

For the sculpture in Portland, Oregon, see Driver's Seat (sculpture).
"Driver's Seat"
Single by Sniff 'n' the Tears
from the album Fickle Heart
B-side "Slide Away"
Released 1978
Format
Genre
Length
  • 3:59 (album version)
  • 3:42 (single version)
Label
Writer(s) Paul Roberts
Producer(s) Luigi Salvoni
Sniff 'n' the Tears singles chronology
"Driver's Seat"
(1978)		 "New Lines on Love"
(1979)

"Driver's Seat" is a 1978 song by the British band Sniff 'n' the Tears that appears on their debut album, Fickle Heart. The band is considered a one-hit wonder as "Driver's Seat" was their only hit.

The genesis of the song dates back to 1973 and a demo tape recorded for a French record label by singer/guitarist Paul Roberts for the band Ashes of Moon. However, that band broke up and, at the suggestion of drummer Luigi Salvoni, Roberts re-formed it as Sniff 'n' the Tears with guitarists Laurence "Loz" Netto and Mick Dyche and bassist Nick South. They shopped the demo tape and signed with the small Chiswick label in 1977.

According to Paul Roberts, "Driver's Seat" isn't about driving, but rather "fragmented, conflicting thoughts and emotions that might follow the break-up of a relationship". One of the key decisions in arranging the song was to start with drums and additively bring in other instruments.[4]

"Driver's Seat" reached number 15 on the American Billboard Pop Singles chart[5] in the fall of 1979, and reached the top 10 in The Netherlands in November 1980. It reappeared at number 1 on the Dutch Top 40 eleven years later as a result of use of the song in a Pioneer commercial.

Chart performance

Chart (1979) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[6] 42
Canadian RPM Top Singles[7] 17
US Billboard Pop Singles[5] 15
Chart (1980) Peak
position
Dutch GfK chart[8] 8
Dutch Top 40[9] 4
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Dutch GfK chart[8] 1
Dutch Top 40[10] 1
Preceded by
"More Than Words" by Extreme		 Dutch Top 40 number-one single
20 July 1991 (1991-07-20) – 3 August 1991 (1991-08-03) (3 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" by Bryan Adams

Cover versions

In 2005, Belgian dance duo DHT covered "Driver's Seat" for their first full-length album Listen to Your Heart and released it as a single under the alias Dared, reaching number 33 in the Flanders Ultratop 50.[11]

In late 2014, new music production company, Bandog Entertainment released a modern up tempo version of Driver's Seat as their second official release.[12]

Use in popular culture

The song was featured in the film Boogie Nights and snippets of the song were frequently used by Art Bell as "bumper music" during Coast to Coast AM broadcasts. It was also used in the 2008 documentary Carrier. In 2009 the song was used in a commercial for automaker Lincoln Motor Company and in 2013 in a commercial for Bank of America. In 2012, the song was used in the TV series The Walking Dead in the episode "18 Miles Out". It is partially played in the 2013 film Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. The song is the theme music for "The Car Show" on Los Angeles radio station KPFK-FM.

References

  1. ↑ Don Breithaupt; Jeff Breithaupt (13 May 2014). Night Moves: Pop Music in the Late '70s. St. Martin's Press. p. 190. ISBN 978-1-4668-7138-0.
  2. ↑ Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications. 1979. p. 102.
  3. ↑ Bruce Bruckmoser; Peter Wulff; Jan-M. Schultze. Ein umfassendes Lexikon der Pop- & Rock - Musik: Basis-Informationen in 3000 Schubladen. Grafik & Typographie. p. 150. GGKEY:WZ6K9RBR2EC.
  4. ↑ "Fickle Heart". Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  5. 1 2 "Sniff 'n' the Tears > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Chart Stats – Sniff 'n' the Tears – Driver's Seat". Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  7. ↑ "RPM Volume 32 No. 3, October 13, 1979". RPM. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  8. 1 2 "dutchcharts.nl – Sniff 'n' the Tears – Driver's Seat" (in Dutch). Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  9. ↑ "De Nederlandse Top 40 – Week 48, 1980" (in Dutch). Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  10. ↑ "De Nederlandse Top 40 – Week 29, 1991" (in Dutch). Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  11. ↑ "ultratop.be – Dared – Driver's Seat" (in Dutch). Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  12. ↑ Wheeler-Harsh, Ben. "Behind the Scenes Production Article – Driver's Seat". http://bandogentertainment.com/. External link in |website= (help)

External links

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