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“Carry On My Wayward Son” by Kansas

“Carry On My Wayward Son” by Kansas appears on 97 radio countdowns from 31 stations between 1982 and 2026. Its best result is #5 on the KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #6,661 indie & aaa song of all time and #269 of the '70s.

97countdowns
31stations
#5best position
0#1 finishes
2top 10 finishes
1982–2026years charted

Kansas put "Carry On Wayward Son" (listed on the countdowns as "Carry On My Wayward Son") on Leftoverture, their fourth album, in 1976, and it came out of a songwriting drought. Singer Steve Walsh showed up to the first day of rehearsals with nothing, so guitarist Kerry Livgren, who had split the writing with him on the first three records, ended up supplying nearly the whole album.

Though based in Atlanta, the band went home to Topeka to work the songs up in an empty strip-mall storefront, while Livgren drafted material on a Lowrey organ at his parents' house; this one came after rehearsals had wrapped. Jeff Glixman produced. In early 1977 it climbed to 11 on the Hot 100, the band's first top 40 hit, and it has stayed a fixture of classic rock radio and the band's signature.

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

RockLists rankings

Indie & Adult Alternative

Classic Rock

Hard Rock & Metal

All Rock Formats

All-time and decade countdowns

Year#StationCountdownof
1982 75 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1991 376 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 243 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 415 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 390 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1996 247 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1996) 500
1997 24 104.5 KZEP KZEP Memorial Weekend Top 500 (1997) 500
1997 24 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
1997 101 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1998 370 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 247 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2002 43 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 43 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (2002) 500
2004 46 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2004) 923
2010 453 WXPN WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) 885
2011 96 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) 1100
2011 11 97.9 The Loop The Loop Rock N Roll 500 (2011) 500
2012 50 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2012) 500
2012 97 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) 1200
2012 242 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 14 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2013) 500
2013 248 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 990 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) 1000
2013 26 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 32 Big 100 BIG 500 Labor Day Countdown (2013) 500
2014 42 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 582 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 650 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2014) 885
2015 1005 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 110 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 17 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2016 105 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2016 151 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 26 103.5 The Fox The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016) 299
2016 18 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2016) 500
2016 10 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2017 61 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2017 16 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2017) 500
2017 28 97.9 The Loop 97.9 The Loop Top 540 Countdown (2017) 540
2018 17 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2018) 500
2018 40 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 187 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2019 361 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 142 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2019) 499
2019 83 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 57 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 29 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2020 21 97.1 The River River 500 (2020) 47
2020 62 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2020 89 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 206 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 49 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 40 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2021 26 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 73 WCSX WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) 499
2021 104 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 193 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2021 388 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Big 500 (2021) 500
2021 161 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 13 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2022 270 90.9 The Bridge 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the '70s 908
2022 106 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 12 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 16 97.1 The River River 500 (2022) 500
2022 28 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 57 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2022) 500
2022 21 94.1 KRNA KRNA Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 66 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 65 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 105 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2023 47 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2023 78 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 18 97.1 The Drive 97.1 The Drive Memorial Day Weekend Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 40 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 33 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2023 22 101.5 WPDH WPDH Top 1015 (2023) 1015
2023 5 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 68 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 147 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2023) 500
2024 163 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2024) 500
2024 50 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2024) 498
2024 34 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 23 KQRS KQRS KQ 500 (2024) 499
2024 62 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 73 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2024) 500
2024 79 KSHE 95 KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) 500
2024 48 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2025 73 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 158 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 53 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2025) 498
2025 37 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 22 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2025 67 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2025) 500
2026 15 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500
2026 60 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) 500
2026 37 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 77 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: Carry On Wayward Son; Carry on Wayward Son; Carry on My Wayward Son.

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