"Highway Tune" is a song by American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Greta Van Fleet Greta Van Fleet is an American rock band from Frankenmuth, Michigan, formed in 2012. It consists of Kiszka brothers Josh (vocals), Jake (guitar) and Sam (bass guitar, keyboards); and Danny Wagner (drums). They were signed to Lava Records in M ...

. It was their first single from their debut EP ''

Black Smoke Rising ''Black Smoke Rising'' is the debut EP by American rock band Greta Van Fleet. It was released digitally on April 21, 2017, and physically on August 7, 2017 by Republic Records. The single " Highway Tune" topped the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock a ...

''. It topped the '' Billboard''

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

and Active Rock charts in September 2017. The song, and the rest of its respective EP, is also part of the band's double EP '' From the Fires'', released on November 10, 2017.

Background

"Highway Tune" was the first song the band

had ever written and recorded together. The song's initial

guitar riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompanime ...

was cited by guitarist Jake Kiszka as being written as early back as 2010—seven years prior to the song's release as a single, and two years prior to the band even being formed. The riff was then brought to early writing and recording sessions upon the band forming in 2012, and was later reformatted and demoed twice before being recorded in its final form. The song was initially used in an episode of the television show '' Shameless'' in January 2016. The song was officially released as one of four songs for the band's debut EP, ''

''. The song was released on March 31, 2017 as a single, and on the EP on April 21, 2017. The song's

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was released 2 days prior to the EP's release, and is mostly a performance-based video, with the band playing in an abandoned warehouse.

Themes and composition

The song has received many comparisons to the work of

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

, including comparison to the vocals of Robert Plant.

Reception

The song topped the '' Billboard''

and Active Rock stations in September 2017. The Mainstream Rock chart was topped in just 14 weeks. ''Billboard'' magazine noted that, outside of solo musicians breaking away from their original band, Greta Van Fleet with "Highway Tune" was the fastest for a band to top the Mainstream Rock charts with their debut single since Tantric's 2001 single "

Breakdown Breakdown may refer to: Breaking down *Breakdown (vehicle), failure of a motor vehicle in such a way that it cannot be operated *Chemical decomposition, also called chemical breakdown, the breakdown of a substance into simpler components *Decompo ...

" and 3 Doors Down's 2000 single "

Kryptonite Kryptonite is a fictional material that appears primarily in Superman stories published by DC Comics. In its best-known form, it is a green, crystalline material originating from Superman's home world of Krypton that emits a unique, poisonous r ...

". Loudwire named it the second best hard rock song of 2017.

Personnel

*Joshua Kiszka – lead vocals *Jacob Kiszka – guitar *Samuel Kiszka – bass guitar, keyboards *Daniel Wagner – drums

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control Greta Van Fleet songs 2017 debut singles Republic Records singles 2017 songs