"Hitchin' a Ride" is a song written by

Mitch Murray Mitch Murray (born Lionel Michael Stitcher; 30 January 1940) is an English songwriter, record producer and author. He has won two Ivor Novello Awards, including the Jimmy Kennedy Award. Murray has written, or co-written, songs that have produ ...

and

Peter Callander Peter Robin Callander (10 October 1939 – 25 February 2014) was an English songwriter and record producer. Active from the 1960s onwards, Callander wrote or co-wrote songs that have been performed by recording artists such as Cilla Black, Tom ...

issued as a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

by the English pop/rock band

Vanity Fare Vanity Fare (often misspelled ''Vanity Fair'', due to the similarity of the novel and magazine title) are an English pop/rock group formed in 1966. They had the million-selling song, " Hitchin' a Ride", which became a worldwide hit in 1970. C ...

in late 1969. It reached number 16 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 ...

in February 1970 but was a bigger

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

in the United States, reaching number 5 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

on June 27, 1970. ''Billboard'' ranked the record as the number 14 song of 1970. In Chicago, the record achieved even greater heights, topping the WCFL Big 10 Countdown on 18–25 May 1970, ranking #4 for all of 1970 and ranking #12 on rival WLS Radio 89 Hit Parade on 6 July 1970, ranking #10 for all of 1970. "Hitchin' a Ride" sold a million copies in the United States alone, and it became a gold record.

Background

The song is about a young man who is attempting to

hitchhike Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads hav ...

since he has no money. The song is noted for its two recorders first heard in the introduction as well as in the sections between the choruses and the verses. The song is also noted for its instrumental section, featuring an electric piano, that plays a bass line in repetition, which is accompanied by the piano's upper register, bass, drums, and guitar, which is later heard before the song's fade. The U.S. single edit shortens the ending by eliminating the final repeated lines of "ride, ride" before the song fades out.

Chart performance (Vanity Fare)

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sinitta version

"Hitchin' a Ride" was covered by American singer

Sinitta Sinitta Malone (born 19 October 1963), known mononymously as Sinitta, is an American-born British singer, actress and television personality. She initially found commercial success in the mid-1980s with the single "So Macho" and had several ot ...

. It was released in 1990 as the fifth and final single from her second album ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * Wicked, a minor character in the ''X-Men'' universe * '' Wicked'', a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', the fifth novel in Sara Shepard's ''Pretty Little Liars'' s ...

'' (1989). The song was produced by Ralf Rene Maue. The B-side contains a previously unreleased song "I'm On My Way". This single reached number 24 in the UK, number 19 in Ireland, and number 131 in Australia.

Critical reception

Bill Coleman from ''

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 ...

'' wrote, "U.K. siren continues her bid for American stardom with a peppy, HiNRG cover of the

nugget." David Giles from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' stated that the song has been "given an ultra-glossy Hi-NRG sheen". He added that "it sounds a little dated, reminiscent perhaps of

Kelly Marie Kelly Marie (born Jacqueline McKinnon; 16 October 1957) is a Scottish singer, best known for the song " Feels Like I'm in Love", a No. 1 hit in the UK in 1980. Early career Born to Alex and Jeanette McKinnon, Kelly Marie began training for a p ...

's "

Feels Like I'm in Love "Feels Like I'm in Love" is a song written and recorded by Ray Dorset with his band Mungo Jerry. It was a number-one hit on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in September 1980 for Scottish singer Kelly Marie. Original version Written by Ray ...

", but should still clear the shelves."

Formats and track listings

;7" single #"Hitchin' a Ride" – 3:42 #"I'm on My Way" – 3:52 ;12" single #"Hitchin' a Ride" (extended version) – 6:35 #"I'm on My Way" – 3:52 ;CD single #"Hitchin' a Ride" (extended version) – 6:35 #"I'm on My Way" – 3:52 #"Hitchin' a Ride" – 3:42

Charts

Other cover versions

* A country music version of the song was released by singer, Jack Reno and reached #12 on the U.S. country chart in 1971. * British group

Paper Lace Paper Lace are a British pop/rock band, formed in Nottingham, who rose to success in 1974 and during that year had three UK Top 40 hit singles. In the United States they are considered a one-hit wonder, having a single US top 40 hit. There are ...

adapted their 1974 version as "Hitchin' a Ride '75", reaching #55 on the official UK "Breakers List" chart and #16 in New Zealand.Flavour of New Zealand, 2 May 1975
/ref> * A 1986 recording by The Replacements is featured on the 2017 live album '' For Sale: Live at Maxwell's 1986''.

References

External links

* Vanity Fare biographyat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

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* * {{authority control 1969 singles 1970 singles 1975 singles 1990 singles Vanity Fare songs Paper Lace songs Jack Reno songs Sinitta songs Songs written by Mitch Murray Songs written by Peter Callander 1969 songs Fanfare Records singles Philips Records singles