Song · Tom Robinson
“2-4-6-8 Motorway” by Tom Robinson
From the album TRB Two (2004)
“2-4-6-8 Motorway” by Tom Robinson appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2004 and 2010. It was first released in 2004 on the album TRB Two. Its best result is #292 on the Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #5,624 alternative song of all time.
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"2-4-6-8 Motorway" was the Tom Robinson Band's opening shot in 1977, the first single from a group that had formed in January and signed to EMI in August, and it tore up the UK chart all the way to number 5. Robinson wrote it on his own after leaving Café Society, back when he was gigging with whichever friends were free that night, so it had to be something a pickup band could master in a few minutes flat.
He found the tune while fumbling for the chords to the Climax Blues Band's "Couldn't Get It Right", which he only half remembered, and came out with a bare three-chord loop. The verse rolls down the M1 into London at sunrise, drawn from all those overnight van rides home after Café Society shows. Vic Maile produced it, and it later resurfaced on TRB Two in 2004.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 292 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 500 |
| 2010 | 689 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Ultimate Road Trip Songs (2010) | 885 |
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