Rollin' with the Flow explained

Rollin' with the Flow
Cover:Rollin'_With_the_Flow_-_Charlie_Rich.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Charlie Rich
Album:Rollin' with the Flow
B-Side:To Sing a Love Song
Released:May 1977
Recorded:April 1977
Genre:Country
Length:2:43
Label:Epic 50392
Producer:Billy Sherrill
Prev Title:My Mountain Dew
Prev Year:1977
Next Title:Beautiful Woman
Next Year:1978

"Rollin' with the Flow" is a song first released by American country music artist T.G. Sheppard, in 1974 on the B-side of a single and in 1975 on his debut album T.G. Sheppard. It is better known for a version released by Charlie Rich in 1977. The Rich single was his eighth Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles charts.[1] "Rollin' with the Flow" also crossed over into the top-40 of the adult contemporary music charts and narrowly missed the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 101 on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart. The song returned to the country music charts in 2008, with a version by Mark Chesnutt reaching number 25 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Content

The mid-tempo song is sung from the perspective of a man who, despite being at an age when most of his peers have started raising families (at least 30 years old according to the second line), still lives a hard-partying, rock-and-roll lifestyle more in tune with far younger men. The song also makes reference to his Christian faith, noting that he knows he cannot continue like this in heaven (thus why he does it while he is still alive) and that he will eventually be forgiven, not just by Jesus, but his "crazy friends" as well.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1977)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] 47
Canadian RPM Country Tracks1
Canadian RPM Top Singles100
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks35

Year-end charts

Mark Chesnutt version

Rollin' with the Flow
Cover:Mark Chesnutt - Rollin' With The Flow.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Mark Chesnutt
Album:Rollin' with the Flow
Released:August 2007
Genre:Country
Length:2:47
Label:Lofton Creek
Producer:Jimmy Ritchey
Prev Title:Heard It in a Love Song
Prev Year:2007
Next Title:When You Love Her Like Crazy
Next Year:2008

In 2007, country music artist Mark Chesnutt recorded the song as the title track for an album. It was released on June 24, 2008. Chesnutt's version became his first Top 40 hit since "I'm a Saint" in late 2004-early 2005, peaking at number 25.

Chart performance

Kurt Vile version

American indie rock artist Kurt Vile covered the song on his 2018 album, Bottle It In.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Whitburn, Joel . The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 289.
  2. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6. 251.
  3. Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1977. Billboard. August 3, 2021.
  4. Web site: Kurt Vile: Always rollin' with the flow. The Line of Best Fit. en. January 1, 2019.