"Against the Wind" is a song recorded by the American singer-songwriter

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 ...

for his eleventh studio album of the same name. It was released as the second single from the album in April 1980 through

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

. Seger recorded the

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

during a two-year process that begat his eleventh album; it was recorded with producer

Bill Szymczyk William Frank Szymczyk (; born February 13, 1943) is an American music producer and technical engineer best known for working with rock and blues musicians, most notably the Eagles in the 1970s. He produced many top albums and singles of the 1 ...

Criteria Studios Criteria Studios is a recording studio in North Miami, Florida, founded in 1958 by musician Mack Emerman. Hundreds of gold, platinum, and diamond singles and albums have been recorded, mixed or mastered at Criteria, for many notable artists and ...

in north

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

. Sonically, "Against the Wind" is a

mid-tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

tune with

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

backing. It was recorded with Seger's Silver Bullet Band, and features

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

from

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, jus ...

co-frontman

Glenn Frey Glenn Lewis Frey (; November 6, 1948 – January 18, 2016) was an American singer, guitarist and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. Frey was the co-lead singer and frontman for the Eagles, roles he came to share with fellow member Don H ...

. "Against the Wind" explores the space between care and indifference from friends and loved ones. It centers on maturation and memories, like many other Seger songs, and carries a tender, mellow tone. Seger pulled from his

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

years as a

cross-country runner Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

to form the song's title–a

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide (or obscure) clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are often compared wi ...

for growing old. "Against the Wind" became one of Seger's most successful singles, reaching number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also charted in

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Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, and

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. It received high marks from

music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mu ...

s, with many praising Seger's

songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

. The song has been celebrated by generations of contemporary

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

artists, with covers ranging from

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

Brooks & Dunn Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were so ...

Background

"Against the Wind" developed over a two-year period when Seger was recording its parent album. He was driven by the desire to have a number one album, and aimed to record

hit singles A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

for his eleventh album, emphasizing a deliberately commercial sound. Seger felt more comfortable than before working in the studio. He personally opened up more to others, and distinguished it as the most fulfilled he had felt as a songwriter to that point. For ''Against the Wind'', he worked with Eagles producer Bill Szymczyk. The recording process was handled at higher-quality studios than before, with an emphasis on polish and getting "things right." The song includes backing vocals from Eagles singer-songwriter Glenn Frey. Seger and Frey had met in the mid-1960s when they were both working 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 t ...

club scene, and had remained close since; a year prior, Seger co-wrote and made a guest appearance on the Eagles' "

Heartache Tonight "Heartache Tonight" is a song written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Bob Seger and J. D. Souther, recorded by the Eagles and features Glenn Frey on lead vocals. The track was included on their album '' The Long Run'' and released as a single in 1979. ...

Themes

Like much of its parent album, "Against the Wind" is a mellow, mid-tempo ballad with

country-rock Country rock is a genre of music which fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal ...

overtones. Steve Pond at ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' identified it as one of many Seger "mediums": mid-tempo tunes with "loping tempos, ndsubdued instrumentation." Lyrically, "Against the Wind" centers on growing older, and finds Seger confronting his memories and yearning for the simplicity of past times. It returns to familiar nostalgic territory for Seger; he characterized "Wind" as the final part in a

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wor ...

of sentimental songs, following " Night Moves" and " Brave Strangers". During an interview, Seger said that "Against the Wind" came about from his days as a high-school cross country runner. He described the song as "about trying to move ahead, keeping your sanity and integrity at the same time." A writer at ''

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 adverti ...

'' described "Against the Wind" as "a mid-tempo folky tale of young love featuring pretty piano backing"; Seger references a "Janey" in the opening lyrics of the song; this refers to Janey Dinsdale, with whom he had a long-term relationship from 1972 until 1983. In ''Rolling Stone'', Seger elaborated on the song's meaning: Bob Seger 1977

In the tune, Seger second-guesses his career choice, particularly aspects of touring, which he describes as "moving eight miles a minute for months at a time." He mulls that he may have "lost isway," focusing too much attention on "breaking all of the rules that would bend." It famously includes the line "Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then", which Seger later admitted bothered him for a while in a grammatical sense. The song "ends with a renewed determination to keep going"; as the song begins its outro, Seger concedes he is "older now, but still running against the wind." Its tone has been described as reflective and bittersweet. ''

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 ...

'' columnist

Jon Pareles Jon Pareles (born October 25, 1953) is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of ''The New York Times''. while music critic

Maury Dean Maury Dean is an American musician, author and professor at Suffolk County Community College, whose book "The Rock Revolution" is in the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame and the Smithsonian. Music Dean taught a "History of Rock N' Roll" course as well ...

considered its topic "all the burdens we'll ever have to face."

Robert Hilburn Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As critic and music editor at the '' Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays and profiles appeared in publications around the wo ...

, writing for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'', described the song a "heartfelt expressions of the search for innocence and integrity in a world where both qualities seem in short supply." Though no

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

was made for "Against the Wind" at the time of its release, a lyric video commemorating its fortieth anniversary saw release on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

in 2020. The clip showcases its songwriting atop "classic Seger imagery — animated horses, motorcycles, and vast

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Commercial performance

"Against the Wind" was issued as the second single from its titular album in April 1980. Seger had no interest as to which songs were released as singles, and he simply left it up to Capitol to decide; "Wind" was chosen by the label's promotional director, Steve Meyer. "Against the Wind" debuted at number 54 on the Hot 100 in the week ending May 3, 1980; it was the highest-debuting single of the week. It moved into the top 30 the following week, and moved into the top ten at the end of the month. It reached its peak at number five on the Hot 100 on June 14. It held at the position for three weeks. After that, it began its descent from the top, and last appeared on the chart on August 23; it remained on the chart as a whole for seventeen weeks, with eleven of those spent in the top 40. During this time, the single also climbed the magazine's

Hot Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

chart, where it peaked at number seven. Internationally, the song was successful as well. In Canada, it reached number six on the all-genre singles chart compiled by '' RPM''. It reached the lowest position on Belgium's

top 30 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "con ...

chart in January 1981, and peaked at 92 on Australian

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent (historian), David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music ...

Critical reception

''Rolling Stone'' critic

Dave Marsh Dave Marsh (born March 1, 1950) is an American music critic, and radio talk show host. He was an early editor of '' Creem'' magazine, has written for various publications such as '' Newsday'', ''The Village Voice'', and ''Rolling Stone'', and has ...

stated in his review of the ''Against the Wind'' album that none of the ballads (including the title track) contained any memorable lines, but he later amended that to acknowledge that the lines "Well, those drifter's days are past me now/I've so much more to think about/Deadlines and commitments/What to leave in/What to leave out" are not only memorable but also haunting in the way Seger "haltingly expresses his indecisiveness." Hilburn at the ''Los Angeles Times'' praised Seger's " timeless, often graceful Everyman edge" he lends to "Against the Wind" and its "tension between the idealism that esearches and the pitfalls in realizing the dreams." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' called it a "thoughtful ballad," saying that the "light folk guitar melody is perfectly punctuated by piano touches and subdued rhythm." ''Cash Box'' also called the vocal phrasing and lyrics "compelling." A ''Rolling Stone'' reader's poll ranked "Against the Wind" as the third-best Seger tune.

Legacy

"Against the Wind" has remained one of Seger's most popular songs; upon his arrival to

streaming services An over-the-top media service is a streaming media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms, the companies that traditionally act as a controller or distributors of ...

in 2017, it ranked his second-most streamed song, behind "Night Moves". "Against the Wind" was famously used in a scene of the 1994 film ''

Forrest Gump ''Forrest Gump'' is a 1994 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson ...

'', where the main character walks across the U.S.; it was included on its accompanying soundtrack album. Deuceswild345

"Against the Wind" has been celebrated by generations of contemporary country artists.

Toby Keith Toby Keith Covel (born July 8, 1961), known professionally as Toby Keith, is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. He released his first four studio albums—1993's '' Toby Keith'', 1994's ''Boomtown'', 19 ...

's 1994 single " Wish I Didn't Know Now" borrows a lyric from "Against the Wind". Brooks & Dunn performed a cover of the song in 1999 that charted at number 55 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 from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

charts based on unsolicited airplay. Of the duo,

Ronnie Dunn Ronald Gene Dunn (born June 1, 1953) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record executive. Starting in 2011, Dunn has worked as a solo artist following the temporary dissolution of Brooks & Dunn. He released his self-titled deb ...

called it one of the songs that shaped his taste, and suggested it influenced "This is one of those songs that, lyrically, we tried to write at the end of the Nineties. We were just taking Seger's era of rock and applying it to what we were doing in country at the time." Later stars, like

Jason Aldean Jason Aldean (born Jason Aldine Williams; February 28, 1977) is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released ten albums and 40 singles. His 2010 album, '' My Ki ...

, offered similar remarks: "You listen to a song like 'Against the Wind' and you’re hanging on every word of the thing. You can’t help but be drawn into it."

Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...

singled out "Against the Wind" as a composition he felt rivaled the work of Lennon-McCartney or

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

. Garth Brooks recorded a cover of the song for a 2016 box set, as did The Highwaymen for their debut album. Other artists from varying genres have also covered the tune;

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

group The Hold Steady released their version of the song on their 2007

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''Stuck Between Stations''.

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 des ...

of Seger's 1994 ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' compilation. *

– lead vocals, acoustic guitar, background vocals The Silver Bullet Band *

Drew Abbott Drew Abbott (born January 13, 1947)Feenotes:Abbott, Drew'. URL last accessed 2012-10-29. is an American guitarist, who is best known for playing in Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band, and appears on Bob Seger's ''Seven (Bob Seger album), Seven'' (1974) ...

– electric guitar *Chris Campbell –

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

David Teegarden David Teegarden is an American musician who was a member of the American psych-rock group Teegarden & Van Winkle. He is a resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Teegarden has worked with many musicians including J. J. Cale, Eric Clapton, Joe Walsh, and ...

– drums Additional musicians *

– background vocals * Paul Harris – piano,

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1980 singles 1999 singles Songs about old age Bob Seger songs Brooks & Dunn songs Garth Brooks songs Songs written by Bob Seger Song recordings produced by Bill Szymczyk 1980 songs Capitol Records singles