"Let It Ride" is a 1974 single by Bachman-Turner Overdrive, written by

Randy Bachman Randolph Charles Bachman ( ; born September 27, 1943) is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. He was the writer and singer of several hit rock songs, ...

and Fred Turner, with the latter providing lead vocals. It was first recorded for the 1973 album ''

Bachman–Turner Overdrive II ''Bachman–Turner Overdrive II'' is the second album by Canadian rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive, released in 1973. The album reached #4 in the US and #6 in Canada. ''Bachman–Turner Overdrive II'' includes BTO's first Top 40 single, " Le ...

''. The single peaked at No. 23 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on April 27, 1974 (making it BTO's first Top 40 song in the US), and spent two weeks at No. 14 on the ''Cash Box'' Top 100. In Canada, the song reached No. 3.

Background

The tune was inspired by a traffic incident. While on tour in 1973 supporting

The Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in San Jose, California in 1970. Known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies, the band has been active for over five decades, with their greate ...

, the band was on a highway in their tour bus and got boxed in by a couple of trucks. When the bus and the trucks reached a rest area, the musicians confronted the truck drivers, who responded by saying the band members should settle down and just let it ride.

Reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is 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 online ...

'' called it a "hard rocking outing" saying that "the vocals, both up front and background harmonies, hit the mark and blend perfectly with the music." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that "forceful, driving instrumental work comes to the forefront" and "gritty vocalizing clinches it."

Cover versions

*The song was covered by Canadian rock band Big Sugar on their 1998 album, ''

Heated Heated may refer to: * ''Heated'' (Big Sugar album), a 1998 rock album * ''Heated'' (Sean T album), a 2000 hip hop album * "Heated" (Beyoncé song), a song by Beyoncé from ''Renaissance'', 2022 See also * Heat (disambiguation) * Heater (di ...

''. *It was also covered by Canadian

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

group

Farmer's Daughter The farmer's daughter or farm girl is a stock character and stereotype in fiction for the daughter of a farmer, who is often portrayed as a desirable and naïve young woman. She is described as being an "open-air type" and "public-spirited", who w ...

on their 1998 album '' This Is the Life''. Their version was released as a single in 1999 and peaked at No. 30 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Country Tracks chart in Canada. *In 2015, Canadian heavy metal band

Kobra and the Lotus Kobra and the Lotus (also initialized as KATL) is a Canadian heavy metal band formed in 2009 by lead vocalist and songwriter Kobra Paige. History Formation, ''Out of the Pit'' (2009–2010) Kobra and the Lotus was formed by classical singe ...

covered the song on their first EP '' Words of the Prophets''. *In 2000,

The Guess Who The Guess Who was a Canadian rock band formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1965. The band found their greatest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s, under the leadership of singer/keyboardist Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman, wit ...

included Let it Ride in their set list for the Runnin' Back Through Canada Tour, along with other Bachman-Turner Overdrive songs. Randy Bachman sang lead.

In other media

"Let It Ride" has appeared in a number of films and television series. It has been in films such as: *'' Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues'' *'' Lovelace'' *''

The Hooker with a Heart of Gold The "hooker with a heart of gold" is a classic character archetype, portraying a courtesan or sex worker who embodies virtues like kindness, generosity, and integrity, despite her morally complex profession. This figure often serves as a contrast ...

'' *''

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

'' *'' Gutterballs'' *''

Invincible Invincible may refer to: Film and television * ''Invincible'' (2001 theatrical film), a drama by Werner Herzog about Jewish cabaret during the rise of Nazism * ''Invincible'' (2001 TV film), a fantasy/martial arts TV movie starring Billy Za ...

'' *''

Radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

'' As well as TV shows like: * ''

My Name Is Earl ''My Name Is Earl'' is an American television sitcom created by Greg Garcia (producer), Greg Garcia for NBC. It aired for four seasons from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, with a total of List of My Name Is Earl episodes, 96 episodes. It wa ...

'' *''

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl X ...

'', ''Supernatural'' *'' Ed'', "Ray Donovan" and "Mayans MC"

Track listing

Charts

Weekly

Year-end

References

External links

Let it Ride by Bachman-Turner Overdrive Songfacts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Let It Ride (Bachman-Turner Overdrive song) 1973 songs 1974 singles Songs written by Randy Bachman Farmer's Daughter songs Mercury Records singles Bachman–Turner Overdrive songs Songs written by Fred Turner (musician) Song recordings produced by Randy Bachman