Driving Wheels Lyric Analysis

Driving Wheels
As previously mentioned, Jimmy Barnes was a voice for the 'Working Class Man'. This mainly referred to truck drivers, as seen in the music video for Driving Wheels. Driving Wheels was a largely popular song among truck drivers because the lyrics describe 'living on borrowed time' and 'he's been up and down this road so many times'. 

Barnes wrote his lyrics this way to appeal to the nature of truck drivers and to reach them on a personal level. Not just 'do your job' but 'I've been there'.   

The song tells a story and through this Barnes can connect with his audience and create a bond between the vocalist and the listener. The lyrics are what gets the point across to his audience.

Exert from lyrics:





Well he's following the broken lines
Living on borrowed time
Motel rooms and broken hearts all left behind
You swear he couldn't close his eyes
As he shifts into overdrive
He's been up and down this road so many times

Here Barnes is capturing the pure essence of what it is like to be a truck driver, this pulls his audience in the moment they hear the first line. The instant bond that is created is like a 'me too' type of bond. The lyrics are fundamental to the song, without them the song would have a totally different meaning. The next line gives us reason to believe that the man in the story hasn't been able to settle down because he is always on the move. 

You swear he couldn't close his eyes.
This again relates to truck drivers because they can work up to twelve hours in a day, then they must stop for at lest eight hours. Most of the time this eight hours is not enough and before you know it, you're back on the road. 


As he shifts into overdrive
He's been up and down this road so many times
If you couldn't get it before, now it is evident that the man is driving. The second line here refers to the singular run that many truck drivers are assigned. They get to know their roads perfectly, right down to every pothole. 

Anyways:
Stay tuned for next time's analysis of music!

My Buddy Jimmy Barnes

Hello there music students!
It has been quite a while since I have posted another music blog, but this time the blog will be about the legendary Australian Artist, my buddy, Jimmy Barnes.

Jimmy Barnes was born James Dixon Swan. Personally, Jimmy Barnes suits him much better. Barnes started out his career as a lead singer in the well known band, Cold Chisel. if you have no idea who I am talking about, I strongly suggest you look them up, you won't regret it. Just ask your parents about him, They'll go on about the good ol' days.

Cold Chisel was a great band, lasting from 1973 - 1983. They made some pretty legendary songs, Barnes released seven albums with his band.

After the band broke up in 1983, Barnes continued on to a solo career, less than a month after the band had split. He was very successful because he became a voice for the 'working-class man' (You'll understand this pun in just a sec). He hit the Australian charts as number one with his first solo album.

Working Class Man 1986

Jimmy Barnes

Jimmy Barnes collaborated with many artists, and expanded out of his comfort zone which was typical country music. With these collaborations he became a Rock and Roll / Blues type singer. His voice was gruff and different to what people had heard before and this made him quite popular. The artists he collaborated with inculde:

• Tina Turner - (Simply) The Best 1992
• Tin Lids ( His Children's Band ) - Back up singers for When Your Love Is Gone 19
• INXS - Good Times ( Soundtrack from The Lost Boys )

Jimmy Barnes became widely known by truck drivers for his country sound, his album Freight Train Heart was popular among truck drivers. An example of this is his song Driving Wheels, it spent five weeks at the top of Australian charts. 

Driving Wheels 1987

Jimmy Barnes

Stay Tuned for the next installment of My Buddy, Jimmy Barnes.

Tanisha


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Barnes