"Like a Rock" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger. The single peaked at No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock Tracks.

Background and writing

Seger told the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' that the song "was inspired partly by the end of a relationship that had lasted for 11 years. You wonder where all that time went. But beyond that, it expresses my feeling that the best years of your life are in your late teens when you have no special commitments and no career. It's your last blast of fun before heading into the cruel world."

Reception

'' Cash Box'' called it an "emotional ballad of perseverence and commitment." '' Billboard'' called it a "slow-paced, rough-edged ballad

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mourns the certainties of youth."

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desc ...

of '' Like a Rock''. * Bob Seger – lead vocals The Silver Bullet Band *Chris Campbell – bass *

Craig Frost Craig Frost (born April 20, 1948 in Flint, Michigan) is the keyboardist for Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band. He is also known as keyboardist for 1970s hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad. He plays organ, synthesizers, and piano. Frost exp ...

– organ Additional musicians *

Dawayne Bailey Dawayne Bailey is an American guitarist who has toured and recorded with Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Véronique Sanson, and Chicago. Bailey was born and raised in Manhattan, Kansas. While still attending Manhattan High School in Kansas, ...

– acoustic guitar *Douglas Kibble – background vocals *

Russ Kunkel Russell Kunkel (born September 27, 1948) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician with many popular artists, including Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Buffett, Harry Chapin, Rita Coolidge, Neil Diamond, Bob Dylan, Dan F ...

– drums * Bill Payne – piano *

Rick Vito Richard Francis (Rick) Vito (born October 13, 1949, in Darby, Pennsylvania, United States) is an American guitarist and singer. He was part of Fleetwood Mac between 1987 and 1991. Vito took over as lead guitarist after Lindsey Buckingham left t ...

– slide guitar *

The Weather Girls The Weather Girls are an American female duo whose best-known line-up comprised Martha Wash and Izora Armstead. Formed in 1976 in San Francisco, California, The Weather Girls members began their musical career as Two Tons O' Fun, the female back ...

(

Izora Armstead Izora Margaret Rhodes-Armstead (July 6, 1942 – September 16, 2004) was an American singer-songwriter. Known for her distinctive alto voice, Armstead first achieved fame as one half of the successful act Two Tons O' Fun who sang backup vocals ...

and

Martha Wash Martha Elaine Wash (born December 28, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the Two Tons O' Fun, who sang backing vocals for the disco si ...

) – background vocals

Chart performance

In media

The song was parodied as "Tastes Like Liberty" for Krusty Burger's Ribwich in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...

'' episode "

I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can "I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can" is the twelfth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 16, 2003, and was seen by around ...

". The song was also featured in the 2005 film ''

The Weather Man ''The Weather Man'' is a 2005 American dark comedy-drama film directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Steve Conrad, and starring Nicolas Cage in the lead role, Michael Caine and Hope Davis. It tells the story of a weatherman in the midst of a m ...

'', starring

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gui ...

and

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite; 14 March 1933) is an English actor. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films in a career spanning seven decades, and is considered a British film ico ...

. This song's greatest exposure was in Chevrolet truck television advertisements from 1991 until 2004,Chevrolet "Like A Rock" From The Mid-90s
/ref> for their massively successful "Like a Rock" campaign, which was also one of their longest-running ad campaigns. The song helped sell millions of trucks over the years and is still widely associated with Chevrolet today.

"Livin' Inside My Heart"

The b-side of some versions of the "Like a Rock" single was "Livin' Inside My Heart." Seger said of "Livin' Inside My Heart:

References

External links

1986 singles Bob Seger songs Songs written by Bob Seger Rock ballads Songs used as jingles Chevrolet Capitol Records singles Song recordings produced by Bob Seger Song recordings produced by Punch Andrews {{1980s-rock-song-stub