Highway 40 Blues
{{Infobox song
| name = Highway 40 Blues
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Ricky Skaggs
| album = Highways & Heartaches
| B-side = Don't Let Your Sweet Love Die
| released = March 1983
| format =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| length = 3:10
| label = Epic
| writer = Larry Cordle
| producer = Ricky Skaggs
| prev_title = I Wouldn't Change You If I Could
| prev_year = 1982
| next_title = You've Got a Lover
| next_year = 1983
}}
"Highway 40 Blues" is a song written by Larry Cordle, and recorded by American country music artist Ricky Skaggs. It was released in March 1983 as the third single from the album Highways & Heartaches. The song was Skaggs' fifth number one on the country chart and his fifth consecutive #1. The single stayed at #1 for one week and spent a total of 12 weeks on the chart.{{cite book|title= The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition|last=Whitburn|first=Joel|author-link=Joel Whitburn|year=2004|publisher=Record Research|page=315}}
The song was covered in Spanish as "Blues de la Nacional II" by La Guardia.
The song was also covered by Daniel O'Donnell on his Two Sides Of album which was released in 1985.
According to songwriter Cordle, "A lot of people who hear it think it's about Interstate 40, which runs right through Nashville, but I actually wrote it about that little state highway in Kentucky."{{cite book |title=Chicken Soup for the Soul: Country Music: The Inspirational Stories behind 101 of Your Favorite Country Songs|last=Canfield|first=Jack|author-link=Jack Canfield|year=2011|publisher=Chicken Soup for the Soul|page=150|isbn=9781935096672}}
Charts
=Weekly charts=
class="wikitable sortable"
!align="left"|Chart (1983) !align="center"|Peak |
{{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|1|artist=Ricky Skaggs}} |
align="left"|Canadian RPM Country Tracks
|align="center"|1 |
=Year-end charts=
class="wikitable"
!Chart (1983) !Position |
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1983/hot-country-songs|title=Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1983|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=June 18, 2021}}
|align="center"|29 |
References
{{reflist}}
{{Ricky Skaggs}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Larry Cordle
Category:Song recordings produced by Ricky Skaggs
{{1982-country-song-stub}}