Hitchin' a Ride (Green Day song) explained

Hitchin' a Ride
Cover:	Green Day - Hitchin' a Ride cover.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Green Day
Album:	Nimrod
Studio:	Conway (Hollywood, California)
Genre:	Rock and roll^[1] rockabilly^[2] alternative rock grunge^[3]
Length:	2:51
Label:	Reprise
Lyricist:	Billie Joe Armstrong
Composer:	Green Day
Producer:	Rob Cavallo Green Day
Prev Title:	Brain Stew / Jaded
Prev Year:	1996
Next Title:	Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
Next Year:	1997

"Hitchin' a Ride" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It was released in September 1997 as the first single from their fifth album, Nimrod, and is the second track on the album. The single reached number five on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, number nine on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.

The song was later featured as the fourteenth track on their International Superhits! (2001) and as the eighth track off of God's Favorite Band (2017).

Reception

PopMatters listed "Hitchin' a Ride" as the sixth best Green Day song, citing "Suiting its falling-off-the-wagon subject matter, "Hitchin’ a Ride" is a hellish yet exhilarating track that makes picking up a bottle look like probably not wisest idea one could have."^[4]

Music video

The music video for "Hitchin' a Ride" was directed by Mark Kohr, the director that Green Day had favored throughout the Dookie and Insomniac singles. Coherently with the subject of the song, the music video shows the band performing in a scenery reminiscent of Prohibition era, amongst suggestive characters in costumes.

"Hitchin' a Ride" can also be found on International Superhits!, Bullet in a Bible and . The music video is included on International Supervideos!.

Track listings

1. "Hitchin' a Ride"
2. "Sick" (non-LP track)
3. "Espionage" (non-LP track)

LP box set

A-side:

1. "Hitchin' a Ride"
2. "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"

B-side:

1. "Scattered"
2. "Uptight"

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (1997)	Position
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[5]	55
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[6]	45

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
United States	August 1997	Radio	Reprise	^[8]
United Kingdom	September 29, 1997			^[9]
Japan	October 15, 1997	CD		^[10]

See also

• List of RPM Rock/Alternative number-one singles (Canada)

Notes and References

1. Web site: The 79 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1997. April 25, 2017. August 15, 2019.
2. Book: GillianG. Gaar. Green Day: Rebels With a Cause. October 28, 2009. Omnibus Press. 978-0-85712-059-5. 157.
3. Web site: Ranking Green Day's 12 Albums. Strength, Reed. Paste Magazine. October 28, 2016. August 15, 2019.
4. Web site: AJ Ramirez . Nice Guys Finish Last: The Top 15 Green Day Songs . PopMatters . May 25, 2013.
5. Best of '97: Mainstream Rock Tracks. Airplay Monitor. 5. 52. 28. December 26, 1997.
6. Best of '97: Modern Rock Tracks. Airplay Monitor. 5. 52. 30. December 26, 1997.
7. Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 1998. Airplay Monitor. 6. 52. 36. December 25, 1998.
8. Green Day Grows Beyond Punk on 'Nimrod'. Rosen. Craig. Billboard. 109. 38. 81. September 20, 1997. The single 'Hitchin' A Ride' went to radio in late August..
9. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 37. September 27, 1997.
10. Web site: ヒッチン・ア・ライド グリーン・デイ. Hitchin' a Ride Green Day. Oricon. ja. September 22, 2023.