Dobie Gray and "Drift Away"...

Cafe Society
1

Was this a “one-hit-wonder?” I find myself strangely attracted to this song and it seems that I can listen to it almost interminably…not to mention that it kinda gets stuck in my head.
Also, for some reason it has exactly the effect described in the song - it soothes me, makes me a LOT more mellow at the end of a bad day.
So, did Dobie make anything else of note? Or is this song even “of note?” Of course, I can do a Google search, but what I’m interested in is personal experience with this song.

  • Dirk
2

Read more about Dobie Gray here.

“Drift Away” is definitely of note – the song was an American top-5 hit in 1973. I still hear it on the radio frequently.

3

I bought a CD years ago which contained a massive amount of stuff which, although I later realised I loved (having listened to them and recognised them), I did not recognise by name. “Drift Away” was on there.
I couldn’t agree with you more. A soothing, easy piece of songwriting at it’s best - seen so rarely nowadays (if at all).
One hit wonder??? Good question. I think I’ll try to find out now.

4

Dobie Gray had one other hit called “The In-Crowd”. It was not as big a hit as “Drift Away”. And, IMHO, this other hit is kinda lame, so he’s virtually a one-hit wonder. - Jinx

5

“Gimme the beat, boys, and free my soul…”

is the text that crawls the screen on my office screen saver.

Lots of questions, LOTS of questions…

6

According to the Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, Dobie Gray had three hits.

“The ‘In’ Crowd” entered the charts on 1/23/65, went as high as #13, and stayed on the charts 13 weeks.

“Drift Away” entered the charts on 3/31/73, went as high as #5, and stayed on the charts 15 weeks.

“You Can Do It” entered the charts on 2/10/79, went as high as #37, and stayed on the charts 2 weeks.

Yeah, I never heard of it either, but it’s a bona fide top 40 hit.

7

Another fan of “Drift Away” checkin’ in. It’s good to listen to, and played by a good band, and with the right woman, it’s great to dance to. :wink:

“I want to get lost in your rock ‘n’ roll
And drift away…”

8

One of my all-time favorite songs, it just seems to capture a moment.

9

Yes, I also find this song very appealing. Just as the OP says, it has a sweet, soothing effect.

The early 70’s must have been the age of soothing music. I can think of several other songs from the era with a similar effect:

“I Can See Clearly Now” by Johnny Nash.

“Lean on Me” by Bill Withers

“Everybody Plays the Fool” by Aaron Neville

10

There’s a new cover of “Drift Away” playing on the radio now. The name of the artist escapes me, but I’ve heard the song for a week.

11

The Beach Boys doing background vocals, right?

Q

12

‘Everybody Plays the Fool’, the 70s version, was performed by The Main Ingredient, led by Cuba Gooding Sr.

13

Well, since I created the OP, I’ll hijack my own thread…
if we are gonna talk about favorite mellow songs, my PC is full of them:
I Can See Clearly Now
Brown Eyed Girl
Sitting by the Dock of the Bay
etc., etc., etc.

14

The Rolling Stones did a version of “Drift Away” around 73’ or 74’ that was never officially released. You can find it on a bootleg called “Acetates” and it’s in near perfect fidelity. The Stones did a fantastic take on it with a very similar arrangement as the original.