B-side "Slide Away" Format 7"
12" Label Chiswick
Atlantic | Released 1978 Genre New wave
pop rock | |
Length 3:59 (album version)
3:42 (single version)
5:48 (12" version) | ||
"Driver's Seat" is a 1978 song by the British band Sniff 'n' the Tears that appears on their debut album, Fickle Heart. The band is considered a one-hit wonder as "Driver's Seat" was their only hit.
Contents
The genesis of the song dates back to 1973 and a demo tape recorded for a French record label by singer/guitarist Paul Roberts for the band Ashes of Moon. However, that band broke up and, at the suggestion of drummer Luigi Salvoni, Roberts re-formed it as Sniff 'n' the Tears with guitarists Laurence "Loz" Netto and Mick Dyche and bassist Nick South. They shopped the demo tape and signed with the small Chiswick label in 1977.
According to Paul Roberts, "Driver's Seat" isn't about driving, but rather "fragmented, conflicting thoughts and emotions that might follow the break-up of a relationship". One of the key decisions in arranging the song was to start with drums and progressively introduce other instruments.
"Driver's Seat" reached number 15 on the American Billboard Pop Singles chart in the fall of 1979, and reached the top 10 in The Netherlands in November 1980.
A 12" version was released on A Best Of Sniff 'n' the Tears in 1991. The song appeared at number 1 on the Dutch Top 40 chart that same year as a result of its use in a Pioneer commercial.
Cover versions
In 2005, Belgian dance duo DHT covered "Driver's Seat" for their first full-length album Listen to Your Heart and released it as a single under the alias Dared, reaching number 33 in the Flanders Ultratop 50.
In late 2014, new music production company, Bandog Entertainment released a modern up tempo version of Driver's Seat as their second official release.
Use in popular culture
The song was featured in the 1997 film Boogie Nights and snippets of the song were frequently used by Art Bell as "bumper music" during Coast to Coast AM broadcasts. It was also used in the 2008 documentary Carrier. In 2009 the song was used in a commercial for automaker Lincoln Motor Company and in 2013 in a commercial for Bank of America. In 2012, the song was used in the TV series The Walking Dead in the episode "18 Miles Out". It is partially played in the 2013 film Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues. The song has been the theme music for The Car Show on Los Angeles radio station KPFK-FM since 2010. It also still receives regular radio play on BBC Radio 2, and is a notable favourite of weekday DJs Ken Bruce and Jeremy Vine.