Eastbound and Down (1977)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.
1) This week's song was featured in the movie Smokey and the Bandit, the surprise box office hit of 1977. Have you seen it? Yes. I seem to catch it on cable every couple years and am embarrassed by how much I enjoy it. I mean, it has plot holes Jerry Reed could drive that Kenworth through and so many car crashes become mind numbing. And yet, God help me, I laugh. Burt Reynolds and Jackie Gleason are so funny.
2) Though not well received by critics, Smokey and the Bandit had one very famous fan: Alfred Hitchcock. The classic film director enjoyed re-watching the movie on video at home, often while having dinner. Do you ever watch TV with your meal? Usually I've got the news on.
3) Jerry Reed not only wrote and performed the movie's theme, he appeared in the movie as truck driver Cledus "Snowman" Snow. Have you ever driven, or ridden in, a big rig? Nope. The biggest vehicle I ever rode in was the tow truck that hauled my Cousin Rose's car (and us) after it crapped out on the highway.
4) He sings, "We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there." Have you recently felt rushed? Not since I retired. I worked in advertising, which is very deadline driven. I'm happy to have left that behind.
5) Director Hal Needham asked Jerry Reed for a song that explained the plot of the movie. He wrote this overnight and always considered it a happy accident. Can you think of a time when something turned out better than you expected? Often. Just about every time I go out. I kinda dread social engagements. I mean, I've got to get dressed in real clothes and wear makeup and for what? But then, when I get home, I think, "That was fun."
6) Reed was born in Atlanta and, coincidentally, he mentions Atlanta in the lyrics. Has your hometown been immortalized in song? Sinatra just couldn't stop singing about us. Because we are so awesome.
7) Jerry met Priscilla Mitchell at Capitol Records, where Jerry was a session musician and Priscilla was backup singer. Though she was only 18 when they wed, it seems their union was a happy one and they were together until his death almost 50 years later. If a newly engaged 18-year-old asked you for advice, what would you say? I would say, "Talk to someone else." I am abysmal at romance.
8) In 1977, when "Eastbound and Down" was on the radio, nostalgia for the 1950s topped the TV ratings. The two most popular shows that year were Laverne & Shirley and Happy Days. If you magically transported back to the 1950s, what do you think you'd like about it? What do you think you'd miss about your life in 2026? I think I would like all the physical media: glossy magazines, thick catalogs, heavy hardbound books and small paperbacks I could carry in my purse and vinyl LPs. I would miss air conditioning. A lot.
9) Random question: Were you ever afraid of monsters in your closet or under your bed? No. At least not technically. I was often convinced I saw scary faces in my bedroom drapes, and I suppose those demons must have either come from the closet or under the bed.
