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Song · Jackson Browne

“Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne

Released 1977

“Running on Empty” by Jackson Browne appears on 62 radio countdowns from 25 stations between 1982 and 2026. It was first released in 1977. Its best result is #13 on the WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #569 indie & aaa song of all time.

62countdowns
25stations
#13best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1982–2026years charted

Watch

Jackson Browne - Running On Empty - OFFICIAL VIDEO MONTAGE

Video from YouTube (Jackson Browne). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"Running on Empty" is the title track of Jackson Browne's 1977 live album, and this one was caught on stage at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, on August 27, 1977. Browne wrote it, sang it and produced it, with Greg Ladanyi engineering.

It barrels along like a car that never touches the brakes, a driving, rolling groove with Browne's weary tenor riding on top. Released as a single early in 1978, it reached number 11 in America and did even better in Canada, where it sat at number four for two weeks. It became one of his signature songs, and Rolling Stone twice squeezed it onto its list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.

RockLists rankings

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 116 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1991 156 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1996 200 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 191 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1997 174 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1997 290 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
2002 662 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 283 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2004 668 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2004 522 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2007 545 WTMD WTMD Top 897 Songs of All Time 897
2010 13 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 304 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2011 164 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2012 174 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 165 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 881 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 38 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 433 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 72 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 510 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2014 988 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 221 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 433 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2015 339 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2015 511 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2016 406 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 362 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 75 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2017 77 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2018 77 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2019 534 WYEP WYEP Big Spring Countdown 2019 1017
2019 534 WYEP WYEP Labor Day Weekend Countdown 2019 1099
2019 672 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2020 328 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2021 477 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 499 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 367 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2022 561 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2022 470 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 672 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 358 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 493 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 21 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2022 487 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2023 42 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2023 489 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 696 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 436 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 316 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 265 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of All Time 909
2023 636 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2024 194 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 152 WYEP WYEP Best Songs of the Past 50 Years 1049
2024 285 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 435 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 404 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2025 113 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2025 360 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2026 94 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 U-Man 500 (2026) 499
2026 235 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500
2026 380 WYEP WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time 1180

Also listed as: Running On Empty; Runnin' on Empty.

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