Song · Sniff 'n' the Tears
“Driver's Seat” by Sniff 'n' the Tears
From the album Fickle Heart (1978)
“Driver's Seat” by Sniff 'n' the Tears appears on 14 radio countdowns from 9 stations between 2002 and 2026. It was first released in 1978 on the album Fickle Heart. Its best result is #160 on the KSHE 95 U-Man 500 (2026). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #6,152 indie & aaa song of all time.
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Paul Roberts wrote "Driver's Seat" alone, sings it and plays acoustic guitar, and Sniff 'n' the Tears issued the 1978 song as a single from their debut album, Fickle Heart. It nearly stayed in a drawer: it dated back to a mid-'70s demo tape for a French label that had signed Roberts, and only a couple of years later did drummer Luigi Salvoni, who had gathered the players for it, dig the tape out and offer to chase a deal. Roberts, busy painting by then, agreed, and the indie label Chiswick signed them.
It went top 20 in Australia, Canada and New Zealand and top 10 in the Netherlands, reached 15 on the Hot 100 once America got it in the summer of 1979, and in 1991 a Pioneer car stereo ad running across Europe drove it to number one in the Netherlands.
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 | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 886 | 92.3 KGON | KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) | 923 |
| 2010 | 505 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) | 885 |
| 2011 | 646 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) | 1100 |
| 2012 | 661 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) | 1200 |
| 2013 | 878 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Grand Jam 1000 (2013) | 1000 |
| 2014 | 570 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) | 1000 |
| 2015 | 886 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) | 1007 |
| 2016 | 844 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 | 1007 |
| 2021 | 487 | WCSX | WCSX Rock & Roll 500 (2021) | 499 |
| 2022 | 491 | 97 Rock | 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) | 500 |
| 2023 | 984 | 101.5 WPDH | WPDH Top 1015 (2023) | 1015 |
| 2026 | 160 | KSHE 95 | KSHE 95 U-Man 500 (2026) | 499 |
| 2026 | 369 | 102.5 WDVE | DVE Memorial Day 500 (2026) | 500 |
| 2026 | 769 | WYEP | WYEP Greatest Songs of All Time | 1180 |
Also listed as: Drivers Seat.
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