Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1976


Arrested for Driving While Blind

Buy Arrested for Driving While Blind now from Amazon

First, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.

Wikipedia article




"'Arrested for Driving While Blind'" is a song by American blues rock band ZZ Top. Written by all three band members Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, it was released as the second single from their fifth studio album 'Tejas' (1976).

Background and lyric



The song ostensibly concerns the pleasures, and legal pitfalls, of driving under the influence, after dark, as an antidote to limited leisure opportunities. The song references a number of popular alcoholic beverage brands:

:"When you're driving down the highway at night

:And you're feelin' that Wild Turkey's bite

:Don't give Johnnie Walker a ride

:Cause Jack Black is right by your side

:You might get taken to the jailhouse and fined

:You've been arrested for driving while blind."

In a 1985 interview with 'Spin' magazine, however, bass player Dusty Hill said that the song was not meant to encourage people to drive drunk: "That's not it at all. Billy introduces it: 'Don't get arrested for driving while blind.' Were not saying, 'Dont drink.' We're just doing a tune."

Sound mixing



The album 'Tejas' was produced by Bill Ham and recorded and mixed by Terry Manning. In 1987, a digitally remixed version of the recording was released on CD and the original 1976 mix version was discontinued. The remix version created controversy among fans because it significantly changed the sound of the instruments, especially the drums. On the original vinyl single release of "Arrested for Driving While Blind", the drum sound is more muted and the lead guitar solo far more prominent. The remixed version cuts off the first two words "And when" of the song's opening line, leaving only "driving down the highway at night... "

Commercial performance



"Arrested for Driving While Blind" peaked at number 91 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100.

Personnel



*Billy Gibbons guitar, lead vocals

*Dusty Hill bass

*Frank Beard drums

Charts



References



Category:1977 singles

Category:ZZ Top songs

Category:1976 songs

Category:Songs about driving under the influence

Category:Songs written by Billy Gibbons

Category:Songs written by Dusty Hill

Category:Songs written by Frank Beard (musician)

Category:London Records singles


Buy Arrested for Driving While Blind now from Amazon

<-- Return to songs from 1976



This work is released under CC-BY-SA. Some or all of this content attributed to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1084747332.