Song · David Lindley
“Mercury Blues” by David Lindley
From the album El Rayo-X (1981)
“Mercury Blues” by David Lindley appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 1981 and 2010. It was first released in 1981 on the album El Rayo-X. Its best result is #68 on the KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #68 alternative song of 1981.
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David Lindley reached into the old rural blues bag for "Mercury Blues" on El Rayo-X, his 1981 album, and his reading stands among the best-known takes on a tune that has passed through a lot of hands. K. C. Douglas wrote it with Robert Geddins and first recorded it in 1948; it started life under the name "Mercury Boogie," a hymn of devotion to the American car of the same name.
Lindley's version went out as a single and climbed as high as 34 on Billboard's mainstream rock chart, which is a fine showing for a car song with that much mileage on it.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 68 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1981 | 106 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 568 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) | 885 |
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