"Workin' for a Livin'" is a single 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 Wale ...

band

Huey Lewis and the News Huey Lewis and the News (formerly known as Huey Lewis & The American Express) are an American rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singl ...

, released in 1982. Included on their 1982 album '' Picture This'', the song peaked at number 20 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 advertis ...

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart published by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States. It is an administrative category that combines the " active rock" and " heritage rock" ...

charts, and number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. A live version appears as a B-side to the single " The Heart of Rock & Roll".

History

According to Huey Lewis, the song was a semi-autobiographical one about past jobs he had before he became a musician.Exclusive Interview with Huey Lewis by Steve Wosahla, ''Song Hits Magazine'', July 1984 Lewis had written it during his time as a truck driver. "I wrote it when I was actually working," Lewis said. "I thought about all of the jobs which just sort of popped out." Some of the jobs listed in the song (busboy and bartender) were also jobs Lewis had before becoming a musician. The song was used in the 1988 film ''Big'' starring Tom Hanks. The 1992 Fox sitcom '' Rachel Gunn, R.N.'' used a version of the song sung by lead actress

Christine Ebersole Christine Ebersole (born February 21, 1953) is an American actress, singer and comedian. She has appeared in film, television, and on stage (theatre), stage. She has received two Tony Awards, and a Drama Desk Award as well as a nomination for a ...

as its opening theme.(10 July 1992)
Rachel Gunn, R.N.
''Entertainment Weekly''

Later version

In 2007,

Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

recorded the song as a duet with country music singer

Garth Brooks Troyal Garth Brooks (born February 7, 1962) is an American Country music, country singer and songwriter. His integration of pop and rock elements into the country genre has earned him his immense popularity, particularly in the United States, ...

. This duet version is included on Brooks' 2007 album, ''

The Ultimate Hits ''The Ultimate Hits'' is the third compilation album by American country music artist Garth Brooks, released by Pearl Records on November 6, 2007. The 3-disc set, composed of two compact discs comprising 34 songs, four of which were new: " Mor ...

'', and was released as a single. It is Lewis' first appearance on the

Hot Country Songs 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 along with digital sales and streaming. ...

chart, where the single reached the top 20.

Charts

Huey Lewis and the News version

Garth Brooks & Huey Lewis version

References

1982 songs 1982 singles 2007 songs 2007 singles Huey Lewis and the News songs Garth Brooks songs Songs about labor Songs written by Huey Lewis Songs written by Chris Hayes (musician) Song recordings produced by Allen Reynolds Chrysalis Records singles Big Machine Records singles Male vocal duets {{2000s-country-song-stub