Song · Ray Charles
“Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles
Released 1989
“Hit the Road Jack” by Ray Charles appears on 4 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2001 and 2020. It was first released in 1989. Its best result is #44 on the WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #3,204 indie & aaa song of all time.
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"Hit the Road Jack" was a Percy Mayfield song before it was a Ray Charles smash: Mayfield wrote it and cut it first in 1960 as an a cappella demo for the music executive Art Rupe. Charles took it on with Margie Hendrix of the Raelettes singing opposite him, and the result is all push and snap, with a hook you can't dodge.
Released on ABC-Paramount, it went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in October 1961 and topped the R&B chart for five weeks, his sixth number one there. It won the Grammy for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording, became one of his signature songs, and joined the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2013. The Chantels even answered it with "Well, I Told You".
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1697 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2004 | 771 | WXPN | WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) | 885 |
| 2010 | 44 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) | 885 |
| 2020 | 906 | WXPN | WXPN 2020 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2020 |
Also listed as: Hit The Road Jack.
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