East Bound and Down
{{For|the HBO series|Eastbound & Down}}
{{Infobox song
| name = East Bound and Down
| image = East bound and down by jerry reed Australian single side-A.png
| alt = side-A label by RCA Victor
| caption = Side A of the Australian single
| type = single
| artist = Jerry Reed
| album = Smokey And The Bandit: Music from the Motion Picture
| B-side = "(I'm Just A) Redneck in a Rock and Roll Bar"{{cite book|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|title=Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008|publisher=Record Research, Inc|year=2008|page=343|isbn=978-0-89820-177-2}}
| released = August 1, 1977
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Truck-driving country{{cite web|url=https://americansongwriter.com/top-10-truck-driving-country-songs/|title=Top 10 Truck Driving Country Songs|author=Uitti, Jacob|publisher=American Songwriter|date=May 10, 2023|accessdate=May 21, 2024}}
| length = {{Duration|m=2|s=45}}
| label = RCA Records
| writer = Jerry Reed, Deena Kaye Rose
| producer = Jerry Reed
| prev_title = With His Pants in His Hand
| prev_year = 1977
| next_title = You Know What
| next_year = 1977
}}
"East Bound and Down" is a song written by Jerry Reed and Deena Kaye Rose,{{efn|Credited as Dick Feller; the song was written and released before Rose came out as transgender.}} and recorded by Reed for the soundtrack for the film Smokey and the Bandit. The song features Reed on the lead vocal, and vocalist Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires on the harmony vocal. It was released in August 1977 as a single on RCA Records. The song's lyrics tell the basic plot line of the movie (leaving out the runaway bride element) of making a 28-hour round-trip run from Atlanta, Georgia, to Texarkana, Texas, and back to illegally transport 400 cases of Coors beer for an after-race celebration.
The song spent 16 weeks on the U.S. country music charts, reaching a peak of No. 2. It also reached No. 3 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.
The "...and Down" in the title and lyric is CB radio jargon for driving with the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor, which is known as having the "hammer down". "I got the hammer down" or "I'm down" means "I'm driving as fast as I can". "[Direction] bound and down" remains a common sign-off for truckers on CB radio.
Chart performance
| class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (1977–78) !align="center"|Peak |
| align="left"|U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles
|align="center"|2 |
| align="left"|U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100Joel Whitburn's Bubbling Under the Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004
|align="center"|3 |
| align="left"|Canadian RPM Country Tracks
|align="center"|2 |
Cover versions
- A variant version of the song, titled "West Bound and Down," was also recorded by Reed and included on the Smokey and the Bandit soundtrack. This variant is played during the westbound portion of the movie. The lyric "East bound and down -- loaded up and truckin'" is changed to "West bound and down -- eighteen wheels a-rollin'." The music and the rest of the lyrics remain the same; however, there is additional instrumentation which includes strings and horns.
- A cover was recorded in 2005 by Canadian country music group The Road Hammers. Other cover versions include Aaron Tippin, Supersuckers, Dave Dudley, and Tonic.
- The song was recorded by punk rock cover band Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on their sixth album, Love Their Country.
- "East Bound and Down" was recorded by Jessy Lynn Martens for the TV series Archer under the pseudonym "Cherlene."
- "East Bound and Down" was recorded by the Supersuckers on their 2005 album Devil's Food.
- "East Bound and Down" was performed by Midland at the 52nd Country Music Association Awards in 2018. The band now regularly includes the song in their live shows.
- "East Bound and Down" was recorded by Po' Ramblin' Boys featuring Jason Carter & Bronwyn Keith-Hynes as a single in 2021.
- The Ford Motor Company revived the song's popularity as part of its F-Series truck advertisements in 2018, where a host of pickups from different years and towing various items, such as barbecue grills, a 1960s-era Ford Bronco, and a statue of the Big Boy mascot, is seen driving down the highway.
- An instrumental version of "East Bound and Down" was recorded by Herb Alpert on his 2023 album Wish Upon A Star.{{cite magazine |last1=Newman |first1=Melinda |title=Herb Alpert on Making His Grand Ole Opry Debut, Country Artists He Admires & Taylor Swift Tying His Six-Decade Record |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/country/herb-alpert-grand-ole-opry-debut-taylor-swift-interview-1235394957/ |access-date=January 3, 2024 |magazine=Billboard |date=August 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230824144101/https://www.billboard.com/music/country/herb-alpert-grand-ole-opry-debut-taylor-swift-interview-1235394957/ |archive-date=August 24, 2023 |url-status=live}}
Notes
{{Notelist}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Smokey and the Bandit}}
{{Trucking industry in the United States}}
{{The Road Hammers}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Jerry Reed
Category:The Road Hammers songs
Category:Songs written by Deena Kaye Rose
Category:Smokey and the Bandit
Category:Songs written for films
Category:Songs about truck driving
{{1970s-country-song-stub}}