“Drive (For Daddy Gene)”
Alan Jackson
Written by Alan Jackson
Radio & Records
#1 (5 weeks)
May 10 – June 7, 2002
Billboard
#1 (4 weeks)
May 25 – June 15, 2002
“Behind Closed Doors” and “The Most Beautiful Girl.”
“Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You.”
“The Dance” and “Friends in Low Places.”
When we talk about the greatest 1-2 punches in country music history, the bar has been set very high.
Alan Jackson vaulted over it with his autobiographical “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” which is somehow amore fully realized, emotionally impactful, and ultimately enduring record than “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning).”
This song was one I loved from the jump, but it meant even more to me when my own father passed away. Although being raised in the fifties by his grandparents with a dad in and out of jail, my father’s nickname as a child was Happy. He was always smiling. Just one of those guys who made your day better by crossing paths with him. Built people up instead of putting them down.
It was my job to give the eulogy and I knew it had to be an upbeat tribute to truly capture the man’s life, even as my grief naturally pulled me in the opposite direction. Alan Jackson wrestled that same battle here, and he’s spoken candidly about how important it was to capture his dad with both positivity and specificity.
He pulled that off with ease, but the real feat he accomplished was making such a specific tribute feel so universally relevant to the generations that grew up hearing it. It’s no coincidence that this is the song that a great songwriter like Taylor Swift picked as a tribute to Jackson, or that Kane Brown could seamlessly integrate this traditional country classic into a mashup with his electro-hillbilly crossover hit.
The song is as malleable as it is durable because it captures truths that are bigger than any genre. Even more so than its unifying predecessor, “Drive (For Daddy Gene)” is a textbook example of how a country artist can transcend boundaries through the sheer force of their talent.
“Drive (For Daddy Gene)” gets an A.
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No denying he knew how to write a song. “A+” is appropriate for this one. The country genre was losing me at this point in time but songs like this made me at least occasionally give it a listen.
Alan Jackson was definitely on fire in the new millennium and kept the streak of excellence going here. I didn’t know the specifics behind this song’s story until reading it here, but it tracks because this song has always felt inspired. It succeeds where George Strait’s similarly themed “The Best Day” fell short for me. The details are rich and descriptive, the characters feel real rather than just stick people in a predictable formula, and the melody drives the listening experience.
While I never had elders teaching me to drive at the young age of Jackson and his bloodline, the song’s details still connect with me. My dad frequently comments on the old wooden boat that he has as a young man. I used to have a T-shirt with the image of a wooden boat and every time he saw me wear it, he commented how he had a boat that looked just like that. He also had an old Ford truck that we used to haul vinyl repair supplies in the early 90s when he did that work at car lots throughout southern Minnesota. I would ride with him in some of most formative summers of my life and developed a lifelong affinity for road trips as a result. While I’m sure not everybody has a direct personal story that they can plug into the experiences Jackson outlines in these lyrics, but the song’s original and enduring success suggests most listeners do.
Grade: A-
So I’ve never been the biggest Alan Jackson fan. Don’t get me wrong I like his music, but some songs I don’t absolutely love.
This one however has been one of the Alan Jackson songs if I wanna listen to his music, this is the one I will immediately go to. I remember my parents especially my mom would play this song and album that accompanied it so much.
The funniest thing is that even though I don’t drive myself, this song is still such a winner. I think for me the reason why, it understands the two fundamentals in country music, focus on a good melody and production and the rest of the song will come together naturally.
This is one of those songs that I appreciate more now than I did when it first was issued – I think my father and my favorite uncle passing away with the next two years after this song was released had much to do with that.
Reghardless of reason, this is a very fine song
Such a fantastic song. I love the shift to the present day and how it makes the story more applicable and relatable. I remember reading in Country Weekly that he originally had a different third verse written, until his wife suggested he include their daughters instead.
This is a vivid story. I remember finally being considered old enough to use my aunt’s riding mower. I remember the dirt road where we’d pick berries and dump trash out behind the school before they finally blocked it off. My parents divorced when I was 4 and I spent increasingly less time with my dad throughout the 21st century, but most of the memories I have of him are positive ones so “good father” songs always get to me. While I’m still no fan of “Miles on It”, I think the tie-in to Kane Brown is interesting as he’s probably the front runner right now for doing songs about being a good father.
Overall, this is one of AJ’s absolute best. It’s probably my favorite #1 of the year, and it only barely misses out to “Life Happened” as my favorite single of the year.
Could you imagine the hat trick if “Designated Drinker” had been picked as a single, though?
I wonder if we’re the only two people on the planet who believe that “Life Happened” was the best country single of 2002.
Life Happened is a fantastic song. I sort of consider it the 21st century equivalent of the class of 57 by the Statler Brothers, just with fewer characters and more character development.
Nice comparison. Never thought of that but I should have.
Could you imagine the hat trick if “Designated Drinker” had been picked as a single, though?
Gosh, I wish it had been. To this day that’s my favorite song on that album (which itself is pretty spectacular as a whole). I was lucky enough to get to hear the guys do it live together at Texas Stadium on Memorial Day weekend in 2004.
Alan Jackson is at his very best when he’s the most personal (Remember When, Home, Chasin That Neon Rainbow, etc.). I think this is his best song he ever recorded, which is very high praise.
I would still name “So You Don’t Have to Love Me Anymore” as my favorite, but that is a very close photo finish against this one and “Song for the Life”.
I remember picking up this album the day it came out and seeing the full title of this song. ”Oh, a tribute to his dad. I bet this is gonna be gooood.”
It absolutely was. One of my favorite Alan Jackson songs to this day. As a motorsports guy I particularly appreciated the reference to Mario Andretti. Heh.