Song · Doobie Brothers
“Takin' It To The Streets” by Doobie Brothers
From the album Takin’ It to the Streets (1976)
“Takin' It To The Streets” by Doobie Brothers appears on 12 radio countdowns from 9 stations between 1997 and 2026. It was first released in 1976 on the album Takin’ It to the Streets. Its best result is #229 on the KSHE 95 U-Man 500 (2026). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #1,376 classic rock song of all time.
Watch
Video from YouTube (The Doobie Brothers). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Takin' It to the Streets" gave the Doobie Brothers' 1976 album its title and the band a new voice: it was their first single with Michael McDonald singing, and he wrote it on his own. Ted Templeman produced it for Warner Bros., with Jesse Butler sitting in on organ.
The trade papers flipped. Cash Box called it the best thing the Doobies had cut yet, vocally and instrumentally, and figured that title, chanted over and over in the chorus, was a hook with all the pull a single could want; Record World heard every ingredient that had made the band a force on the charts. It climbed to 13 in the US and 7 in Canada. Billboard's staff later put it third among the band's best songs, and Ultimate Classic Rock's Michael Gallucci ranked it sixth, tipping his hat to McDonald's soulful rasp.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Classic Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 537 | 102.3 WBAB | WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) | 1023 |
| 2002 | 823 | 92.3 KGON | KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) | 923 |
| 2004 | 858 | 92.3 KGON | KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) | 923 |
| 2010 | 573 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) | 885 |
| 2011 | 292 | 97.9 The Loop | The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) | 500 |
| 2012 | 1157 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) | 1200 |
| 2019 | 238 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 | 1025 |
| 2020 | 948 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) | 1025 |
| 2022 | 358 | WMGK | WMGK Philly 500 (2022) | 500 |
| 2022 | 996 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) | 1025 |
| 2023 | 747 | 101.5 WPDH | WPDH Top 1015 (2023) | 1015 |
| 2026 | 229 | KSHE 95 | KSHE 95 U-Man 500 (2026) | 499 |
Also listed as: Takin' it to the Streets; Taking It To The Streets; Takin' It to the Streets; Takin' It to the Stree; Taking It to the Streets.
Comments
Log in or create a free account to join the conversation about "Takin' It To The Streets" by Doobie Brothers.
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts.