Bob Seger “Old Time Rock and Roll” charted

Old Time Rock and Roll Bob Seger

Writer(s): George Jackson, Thomas E. Jones III, Chuck Crozier, Bob Seger (see lyrics here) First Charted: April 7, 1979 Peak: 28 BB, 19 BA, 34 CB, 33 GR, 40 HR, 1 CL, 31 CN, 3 AU, 1 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 2.0 US, 0.2 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 2.0 radio, 157.38 video, 284.85 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Bob Seger was born in Detroit on May 6, 1945. He released his first album, Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man, in 1969 but his career didn’t really take off until 1976. That was his first of three consecutive top-ten albums to sell at least five million copies. The middle album of the three (Stranger in Town) was arguably the biggest with four top-40 hits – “Still the Same” (#4 BB), “Hollywood Nights” (#12 BB), “We’ve Got Tonite” (#13 BB), and “Old Time Rock and Roll” (#28 BB). Despite being the lowest charting of the four singles, “Old Time Rock and Roll” has arguably become the most iconic, possibly of all Seger’s songs. In 1983, the song soundtracked Tom Cruise’s famous dancing-in-his-underwear scene in Risky Business, giving it status as one of the top 100 movie songs of all time according to the American Film Institute. In 1996, the song ranked #2 on the The Top Jukebox Singles of All Time list by Amusement & Music Operators Association. WK Seger himself has said it is his favorite song. WK Songwriting credit has been disputed. George Jackson and Thomas Jones, who worked as songwriters at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, sent a demo of “Old Time Rock and Roll” to Seger who often worked with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section during studio sessions. According to Seger, he rewrote the lyrics on the verses but left the chorus in tact. However Seger didn’t take a songwriting credit on the song, which le later said was “the dumbest thing I ever did.” SF By contrast, George Stephenson of Malaco Records (where Jackson was a staff songwriter) asserts it is “Jackson’s song, and he has the tapes to prove it.” WK Cash Box called the song “a piece of infectious raucous joy.” WK Billboard said the song’s highlights are Seger’s “rough-edged vocals and the power charged instrumentation.” WK Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 9/15/2023.