Carry On Wayward Son
"Carry On Wayward Son" | ||||
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Single by Kansas | ||||
from the album Leftoverture | ||||
B-side | "Questions of My Childhood" | |||
Released | December 1976 | |||
Recorded | December 1975 | |||
Length | 5:26 | |||
Label | Kirshner | |||
Writer(s) | Kerry Livgren | |||
Producer(s) | Jeff Glixman, Kansas | |||
Kansas singles chronology | ||||
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"Carry On Wayward Son" is a single recorded by Kansas and written by Kerry Livgren for their 1976 album Leftoverture. In 1977, the song peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming their first Top 40 hit.[citation needed]
Contents
Overview
The 7" single has been certified Gold by the RIAA. This version was a much shorter version of the song, edited down to 3:26, a version that was also the band's only single to chart in the UK, reaching number 51 there.[1] All initial releases of the single had a B-side of "Questions of My Childhood". The song was later re-released on all Kansas compilation albums (except for Works In Progress) and all Kansas live albums.
This song is 96th on VH1's 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs.[2]
Chart performance
Chart (1976-77) | Peak position |
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U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 11 |
Canadian RPM Top Singles | 5 |
United Kingdom Singles Chart | 51 |
Cover versions
Rock band The Showdown covered the song in their 2007 album, Temptation Come My Way.[3]
Christian rock band Stryper covered the song in their 2011 album, The Covering.[4]
Retch metal band The Scarlet Stingers covered the song on their album Tomorrow.
In 2012, The A.V. Club, a pop culture website, held its annual A.V. Undercover in which artists are invited to perform cover versions of reader-selected songs.[5] Gwar accepted the challenge and recorded a version of "Carry On Wayward Son" and released a video of it as well.[6] They also released a version on the European version of their album Battle Maximus.[citation needed]
Uses in popular culture
The song is played on almost every season finale of The CW's Supernatural.[7] An acoustic version of the song is performed to celebrate the 200th episode of Supernatural which is available in iTunes, along with other songs from the episode.[citation needed]
In a 2015 TV commercial for Miller Lite, a man sings the first two lines while holding a Miller Lite bottle.[8][better source needed] A cover version appeared as playable track in Guitar Hero II while the mastered recording appeared in Guitar Hero Smash Hits.[citation needed]
The song is featured heavily in the South Park episode, "Guitar Queer-O".[citation needed]
References
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- ↑ Knight, Nicholas, Supernatural Season 1 Companion p. 148
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External links
- "Carry On Wayward Son" on YouTube
- "Carry On Wayward Son" lyrics on MetroLyrics
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- Use mdy dates from July 2015
- Articles with unsourced statements from May 2010
- Articles with unsourced statements from July 2015
- Articles lacking reliable references from June 2015
- Articles with unsourced statements from June 2015
- 1976 singles
- Gwar songs
- Kansas (band) songs
- Hard rock songs
- Song recordings produced by Jeff Glixman
- Songs written by Kerry Livgren
- 1975 songs
- 1970s rock song stubs