"Lookin' Back" is a song written by

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, break ...

, originally released as a non-album single in September 1971. As with previous single "

2 + 2 = ? "2 + 2 = ?" is a single from The Bob Seger System on their debut album ''Ramblin' Gamblin' Man'', released in January 1968, on Capitol Records. It is an anti-Vietnam War song. History Framed around a central, Animals-esque hard riff driven by ...

", "Lookin' Back" was a criticism of

political conservatism Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization ...

, chiding conservatives for not being open to new ideas. The song was originally recorded as part of Seger's 1970 album, '' Mongrel'', but cut from the final release. The single was a moderate success, reaching #96 on the US charts and #3 on the

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

charts. A live version of the song was included on Seger's 1976 live album, ''

Live Bullet ''‘Live’ Bullet'' is a live album by American rock band Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, released in April 1976. It was recorded at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan, during the heyday of that arena's time as an important rock concert venue ...

''.

Track Listing

# "Lookin' Back - 2:43 # "Highway Child" - 2:49

References

1971 singles Capitol Records singles Bob Seger songs Songs written by Bob Seger Protest songs 1971 songs Song recordings produced by Punch Andrews {{1970s-single-stub