"Carry On Wayward Son" is a song by American rock band
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, released from the band's fourth studio album ''
Leftoverture
''Leftoverture'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1976. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2001. It was the band's first album to be certified by the RIAA, and remains their highest selling al ...
'' (1976). Written by guitarist
Kerry Livgren
Kerry Allen Livgren (born September 18, 1949) is an American musician, best known as one of the founding members and primary songwriters for the American rock band Kansas.
Biography
Livgren was raised in Topeka, Kansas, by his father Allen L ...
, the song became the band's first Top 40 single, reaching No. 11 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in early 1977.
The song has since remained a
classic rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
radio staple and a signature song for the band.
Background
While Kansas' previous three albums had split songwriting duties between lead vocalist
Steve Walsh and band member Kerry Livgren, the latter essentially provided all the material for the band's fourth album release, ''Leftoverture''. According to Livgren, "On the very first day of rehearsals, Steve
...said that he had nothing – not a single song. I don't relish that kind of pressure, but with hindsight it really brought out the best in me."
Although based in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, Kansas had returned to their
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...
hometown to work up material for what would be the ''Leftoverture'' album, the band rehearsing in a vacant store in a strip mall the material Livgren was working up on a
Lowrey organ
The Lowrey organ is an electronic organ named for its developer, Frederick C. Lowrey (1871–1955), a Chicago-based industrialist and entrepreneur. Lowrey's first commercially successful full-sized electronic organ, the Model S Spinet or ''B ...
at the parental home where he was staying. "Carry On Wayward Son" was written after the band had completed rehearsals. Livgren, who perceived the song as being "beamed down" to him ''in toto'', in 2004 stated: "It's an autobiographical song. Parallel to my musical career I've always been on a spiritual sojourn, looking for truth and meaning. It was a song of self-encouragement. I was telling myself to keep on looking and I would find what I sought."
Livgren was
born again
Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sepa ...
on July 25, 1979, and since 1980 recorded primarily as a
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...
artist.
Drummer
Phil Ehart
Phillip W. Ehart (born February 4, 1950) is the drummer in the progressive rock band Kansas. He and Rich Williams are the only two members who have appeared on every Kansas album. Though his songwriting contributions to the group were few, he co ...
recalled that Livgren mentioned a new song as Kansas was packing up to leave Topeka for
Studio in the Country
Studio in the Country is a recording studio located at 21443 Hwy 436 in Washington Parish, Louisiana.
The studio has been in operation since 1972. It was conceived and originally owned by recording engineer William S. "Bleu" Evans. It sits on ...
, the
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
facility where ''Leftoverture'' was recorded from December 1975, with Livgren presenting "Carry On Wayward Son" to his bandmates only after they had reached the studio. In 2004, Ehart recalled, "It was the last, last
ong Ong or ONG may refer to:
Arts and media
* Ong's Hat, a collaborative work of fiction
* “Ong Ong”, a song by Blur from the album The Magic Whip
Places
* Ong, Nebraska, US, city
* Ong's Hat, New Jersey, US, ghost town
* Ong River, Odisha, ...
to be submitted for
...'Leftoverture'
...I can't even remember if we dropped something else to get
ton there
...hen
Hen commonly refers to a female animal: a female chicken, other gallinaceous bird, any type of bird in general, or a lobster. It is also a slang term for a woman.
Hen or Hens may also refer to:
Places Norway
*Hen, Buskerud, a village in Ringer ...
we recorded it, we didn't really think it would be a hit
sit was about six minutes long
...We were on the road
n December 1976 whenour manager
...said: 'Well, you're not gonna believe this, but we actually have a hit song.' We said, 'What?' He said, 'Yeah. "Carry On Wayward Son" is shooting up the charts.' And it barely made it on the album!"
Kansas other guitarist
Rich Williams
Richard John Williams (born February 1, 1950) is an American guitarist, primarily known for being one of the only consistent original members of the rock band Kansas alongside drummer Phil Ehart. Both have appeared on every Kansas album to date ...
indicated in 2004 that the success of "Carry On Wayward Son" was not a total surprise to the band: "As far as knowing what a hit was, we didn't have any idea. But we knew there was something special about
Carry On Wayward Son' It was very easy to listen to but still very different."
Release and impact
Subsequent to the October 21, 1976, release of the ''Leftoverture'' album, the track "Carry On Wayward Son" became an
FM radio
FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is cap ...
favorite,
causing the November 23 single release of a 3:26 edit of the 5:26 album track (itself trimmed from 7:30 minutes). Many
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
stations aired the full album cut rather than the single edit.
Debuting at No. 86 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 dated December 25, 1976, "Carry On Wayward Son" reached the Top at seven weeks later, the single in its first months of release typically garnering attention in what could be termed secondary markets being "added" by major market radio stations such as
WABC-AM (NYC) and
KHJ-AM (LA) only in March 1977. Ultimately "Carry On Wayward Son" reached a chart peak of No. 11 on the Hot 100 dated April 2, 1977: Internationally the single reached No. 6 in Canada, No. 51 in the UK and No. 58 in Australia All initial releases of the single had a
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...
of "Questions of My Childhood".
"Carry on Wayward Son" was later included on all Kansas compilation albums (except for ''
Works in Progress'') and was heard on all Kansas live albums. It was certified Gold by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
for sales of 500,000 units on December 18, 1990, and reached quadruple platinum, or 4 million, on November 26, 2019.
"Carry On Wayward Son" is 96th on
VH1's ''100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs''.
''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Eduardo Rivadavia rated "Carry On Wayward Son" as Kansas' greatest song, saying it "combines their progressive and commercial instincts" and "fluidly shifts between studied technique and an infectious melody, culminating in a soaring chorus."
Personnel
*
Steve Walsh – lead vocals, keyboards, organ
*
Robby Steinhardt
Robert Eugene Steinhardt (May 25, 1950 – July 17, 2021) was an American rock violinist and singer best known for his work with the group Kansas, for which he was co-lead singer/"frontman" and MC along with keyboardist Steve Walsh, from 1973 ...
– backing vocals
*
Kerry Livgren
Kerry Allen Livgren (born September 18, 1949) is an American musician, best known as one of the founding members and primary songwriters for the American rock band Kansas.
Biography
Livgren was raised in Topeka, Kansas, by his father Allen L ...
– guitar, piano
*
Rich Williams
Richard John Williams (born February 1, 1950) is an American guitarist, primarily known for being one of the only consistent original members of the rock band Kansas alongside drummer Phil Ehart. Both have appeared on every Kansas album to date ...
– acoustic and electric guitar
*
Dave Hope
Dave Hope (born October 7, 1949) is an American bass guitarist who played with the American progressive rock band Kansas from 1970 (original version) until the band's first split in 1983. When he was in high school, he played defensive center fo ...
– bass
*
Phil Ehart
Phillip W. Ehart (born February 4, 1950) is the drummer in the progressive rock band Kansas. He and Rich Williams are the only two members who have appeared on every Kansas album. Though his songwriting contributions to the group were few, he co ...
– drums
Charts
Certifications
In other media
* "Carry On Wayward Son" is considered the unofficial theme song for the television series ''
Supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
''.
It is heard in the final episode of almost every season of the show, in "The Road So Far"
synopses of previous episodes.
* It is used by the professional wrestling faction
The Elite members
The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks are an American professional wrestling tag team and promoters, consisting of brothers Matthew and Nicholas Massie, who are known by their ring names Matt and Nick Jackson, respectively. They are signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW ...
and
Kenny Omega
Tyson Smith (born October 16, 1983), better known by the ring name Kenny Omega, is a Canadian-born professional wrestler. Omega is an executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling (AEW), in which he also performs. Omega is a former one-time ...
as their ring entrance music as of November 19, 2022 in
All Elite Wrestling
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is an American professional wrestling promotion based in Jacksonville, Florida. It is considered the second largest wrestling promotion in the United States behind WWE.
AEW is owned by Shahid Khan and his son Tony, w ...
’s
Full Gear (2022)
The 2022 Full Gear was the fourth annual Full Gear professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It took place on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, marking AEW's ...
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view (PPV) is a type of pay television or webcast service that enables a viewer to pay to watch individual events via private telecast.
Events can be purchased through a multichannel television platform using their electronic program guid ...
during their return challenging for the
AEW World Trios Championship
The AEW World Trios Championship is a professional wrestling world tag team championship created and promoted by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It is a specialized tag team championship, being contested by teams of three wrestle ...
holders
Death Triangle
Death Triangle is a professional wrestling stable in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) consisting of Pac and The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fénix), alongside their manager Alex Abrahantes. The trio are the current AEW World Trios Cham ...
members
PAC,
Pentagón Jr
Pentagón is a lucha libre, or professional wrestling, persona also referred to as a gimmick that has been portrayed by a number of different people over the years. The gimmick was created as an Evil twin of professional wrestler Octagón and is ...
, and
Fénix to a title match.
[ ]
Note
References
{{authority control
1976 singles
Gwar songs
Kansas (band) songs
Song recordings produced by Jeff Glixman
Songs written by Kerry Livgren
1975 songs