The "Theme from ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' (Good Ol' Boys)" is a song written and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

. It was released in August 1980 as the second single from the album '' Music Man''. Recognizable to fans as the theme to the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

comedy adventure television series ''

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy TV series that was aired on CBS from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The show aired for 147 episodes spanning seven seasons. It was consistently among the top-rated television series ...

'', the song became a #1 hit on the ''

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 ...

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart in 1980.

Song lyrics

Just the good ol' boys Never meaning no harm Beats all you never saw, been in trouble with the law Since the day they was born Straightening the curves, flattening the hills Someday the mountain might get 'em but the law never will Making their way, the only way they know how That's just a little bit more than the law will allow Just the good ol' boys, wouldn't change if they could Fighting the system like two modern-day Robin Hoods

Song history

As the narrator for the movie ''

Moonrunners ''Moonrunners'' is a 1975 action comedy film starring James Mitchum, about a Southern family who runs bootleg liquor. It was reworked four years later into the popular long-running television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', and the two product ...

'' (1975), Jennings was tapped to serve in the same capacity for ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' which premiered on CBS in 1979 and was based on ''Moonrunners''. Jennings wrote the theme song for the show and recorded two versions: the television theme version and a slightly different version made commercially available on both single and album which received radio airplay. The television show version features Larry McNeely's

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

work which the commercially available version does not. Additionally, the television version's third verse contains the lyric, "Fightin' the system like two modern-day Robin Hoods", which is accompanied by a "Yee-haw!" said by characters, Bo Duke (John Schneider) and Luke Duke (Tom Wopat), though it is in fact Schneider's vocal used twice. The commercially available version receiving radio airplay contains a musical bridge which follows the first verse and chorus. Also, following the commercial version's second chorus, Jennings makes a tongue-in-cheek reference to his faceless appearance in the credits by singing, "I'm a good ol' boy, you know my mama loves me, but she don't understand, they keep-a showin' my hands and not my face on TV" (a statement referring to the opening shot in the television theme version where Jennings is only shown below the neck playing guitar). Most of Jennings' greatest hits albums and various compilation releases containing the "Theme from ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' (Good Ol' Boys)" feature the commercially available version.

Commercial performance

In November 1980, "Theme from ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' (Good Ol' Boys)" became Jennings' twelfth #1 country hit overall (tenth as a solo recording act). The song spent seventeen weeks on the ''Billboard'' country singles charts and became his biggest hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at #21. It also appeared on several other music charts. The original 1980 single was certified gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for sales over a million. Subsequent to the 2005 movie, the song was certified platinum in 2007 for a million

ringtone A ringtone, ring tone or ring is the sound made by a telephone to indicate an incoming call. Originally referring to and made by the electromechanical striking of bells, the term now refers to any sound on any device alerting of a new incoming ...

sales. Note: the certification sales qualification levels had been changed in 1989.

Charts

Other versions

The song was covered by the Swedish

Lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

-group Loosegoats on their demo ''For Sale by Owner'' but has never been featured on any of their full-length albums. Rapper

Lil Wyte Patrick Dhane Lanshaw (born October 6, 1982), better known by his stage name Lil Wyte, is an American rapper. He is a member of the rap collective Hypnotize Minds and owner of the independent label Wyte Music. Early life Growing up in Frayse ...

sampled the song on his song "Comin' Yo Direction" off his album ''

Doubt Me Now ''Doubt Me Now'' is the debut album by American rapper Lil Wyte, released March 4, 2003. The album became an underground hit among fans, selling over 135,000 copies independently, without any promotion. To date it has sold 360,000 copies. Fans als ...

''. The song was frequently covered live by

Ween Ween is an American rock band from New Hope, Pennsylvania, formed in 1984 by Aaron Freeman and Mickey Melchiondo, better known by their respective stage names, Gene and Dean Ween. Generally categorized as an alternative rock band, the band are ...

during their brief country phase.

Other artists

Waylon Jennings' son

Shooter Jennings Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings (born May 19, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He is the only son of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. In a career spanning over two decades, Shooter Jenni ...

is known for singing "Good ol' Boys" at the Dukefests, which honor the series, and his late father. Along with

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

and

Ben L. Jones Benjamin Lewis Jones (born August 30, 1941) is an American actor, politician, playwright, and essayist, best known for his role as Cooter Davenport in ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. Jones also served for four years in the United States House of Repre ...

(Cooter on the series), Waylon Jennings sang the song in an extended version.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply The Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three s ...

covered the song while driving

The General Lee ''The General Lee'' (sometimes referred to as simply "the General") is an orange 1969 Dodge Charger driven in the television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' by the characters the Duke boys, Bo and Luke, along with cousins Coy and Vance (i ...

for their album ''

The Chipmunks Go Hollywood This is the complete discography of the fictional music group Alvin and the Chipmunks. Albums * 1959: '' Let's All Sing with The Chipmunks'' * 1960: '' Sing Again with The Chipmunks'' * 1960: '' Around the World with The Chipmunks'' * 1961: ''The ...

'' (1982). In 2006, John Schneider (

Bo Duke Beauregard "Bo" Duke (born circa 1957) is a fictional character in the American television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'', which ran from 1979 to 1985. He was played by John Schneider. Bo and his cousin Lucas K. "Luke" Duke (Tom Wopat) live ...

Tom Wopat Thomas Steven Wopat (born September 9, 1951) is an American actor and singer. He first achieved fame as Lucas K. "Luke" Duke on the long-running television action/comedy series ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. Since then, Wopat has worked regularly, ...

(

Luke Duke Lucas K. "Luke" Duke is a fictional character in the American television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' which ran from 1979 to 1985. Luke was played by Tom Wopat. Luke and his younger cousin Bo Duke live in an unincorporated area of the fictio ...

), and

Catherine Bach Catherine Bach (born Catherine Bachman; March 1, 1954) is an American actress. She is known for playing Daisy Duke in the television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' and Margo Dutton in '' African Skies''. In 2012, she joined the cast of the CBS ...

(

Daisy Duke Daisy Duke is a fictional character, played by Catherine Bach, from the American television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. She is the cousin of Bo and Luke, the main protagonists of the show, and the three live on a farm on the outskirts of ...

) made a music video, as seen on the 7th Season DVD of the series. Schneider also covered the song. In ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' film adaptation (2005), a recording of Waylon Jennings was used in one scene, also, as heard on the soundtrack, by

(Uncle Jesse in the film). In the film '' The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning'' (2007), country singer

John Anderson John Anderson may refer to: Business *John Anderson (Scottish businessman) (1747–1820), Scottish merchant and founder of Fermoy, Ireland * John Byers Anderson (1817–1897), American educator, military officer and railroad executive, mentor of ...

sings the theme. Rock band

Cage9 Cage9 is a Panamanian/American rock band, formed in Panama City in 1993. The group was founded by Evan Rodaniche (guitar/vocals) and is currently based out of Los Angeles, California, since 2002. Cage9 has been direct openers for Ozzy Osbourn ...

, performed a cover version of the song was heard in the trailers from the same two films.

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

used the song in an advertising campaign featuring

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

star

Randy Moss Randy Gene Moss (born February 13, 1977) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee ...

and

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

star Jason Williams, who were teammates in the same high school in rural

Belle, West Virginia Belle is a town in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States, situated along the Kanawha River. The population was 1,171 at the 2020 census. Belle was incorporated on December 13, 1958 by the Kanawha County Circuit Court. It is the home of t ...

. The song was featured in ''

Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

'' season 15's "Last Call" where it was sung by

Jensen Ackles Jensen Ross Ackles (born March 1, 1978) is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Dean Winchester in The WB/The CW, CW dark fantasy drama series ''Supernatural (American TV series), Supernatural'' (2005–2020) and appearing in ...

and

Christian Kane Christian Kane (born Christopher Michael Short) is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He is known for his roles in the television shows ''Angel'', ''Leverage'', '' The Librarians'', and '' Into the West'', and the movies ''Just Married'', ' ...

as their characters Dean Winchester and Lee Webb. Josh Turner released a version of the song on his Country State Of Mind cd Mexican country group The Forasteros covers the theme song live. John Schneider has released 2 album versions and sung the song with Ray Stevens and several others through the years.