"Hitchin' a Ride" 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

Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...

. It was released in August 1997 as the first single from their fifth album, ''

Nimrod Nimrod (; ; arc, ܢܡܪܘܕ; ar, نُمْرُود, Numrūd) is a biblical figure mentioned in the Book of Genesis and Books of Chronicles. The son of Cush and therefore a great-grandson of Noah, Nimrod was described as a king in the land of ...

'', and is the second track on the album. The single reached number five on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart, number nine on 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 ...

chart, and number 25 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. The song was later featured as the fourteenth track on their ''

International Superhits! ''International Superhits!'' is the first greatest hits album by American rock band Green Day, released November 13, 2001, through Reprise Records. It collects all of the band's singles released between 1994 and 2000 as well as a rerecording of " ...

'' (2001) and as the eighth track off of ''

God's Favorite Band ''Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band'' is the second greatest hits album by American rock band Green Day, released on November 17, 2017. Background ''God's Favorite Band'' features 20 of Green Day's previous hits, as well as 2 new songs: a new ...

'' (2017).

Reception

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

listed "Hitchin' a Ride" as the sixth best Green Day song, citing "Suiting its falling-off-the-wagon subject matter, "Hitchin’ a Ride" is a hellish yet exhilarating track that makes picking up a bottle look like probably not wisest idea one could have."

Music video

The

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 promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "Hitchin' a Ride" was directed by Mark Kohr, the director that Green Day had favored throughout the ''

Dookie ''Dookie'' is the third studio album and the major label debut by American rock band Green Day, released on February 1, 1994, by Reprise Records. The band's first collaboration with producer Rob Cavallo, it was recorded in late 1993 at Fantasy ...

'' and '' Insomniac'' singles. Coherently with the subject of the song, the music video shows the band performing in a scenery reminiscent of

prohibition era Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacturing, manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption ...

, amongst suggestive characters in costumes. "Hitchin' a Ride" can also be found on ''

'', ''

Bullet in a Bible ''Bullet in a Bible'' is a live album by American rock band Green Day, released on November 15, 2005, by Reprise Records. It was directed by Samuel Bayer, who was the director of all the videos from '' American Idiot''. Background and release '' ...

'' and '' Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band''. The music video is included on ''

International Supervideos! ''International Superhits!'' is the first greatest hits album by American rock band Green Day, released November 13, 2001, through Reprise Records. It collects all of the band's singles released between 1994 and 2000 as well as a rerecording of ...

''.

Track listings

#"Hitchin' a Ride" #"Sick of Me" (non-LP track) #"Espionage" (non-LP track) LP box set A-side: # "Hitchin' a Ride" # "

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (or "Time of Your Life (Good Riddance)") is a song by American rock band Green Day, released in December 1997 as the second single from their fifth studio album, ''Nimrod'' (1997). Although different from the b ...

" B-side: # "Scattered" # "Uptight"

Charts

Release history

References