455 Rocket

"455 Rocket" is a song written by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, and recorded by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in January 1997 as the first single from the album Love Travels. The song reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[1]

"455 Rocket"
Single by Kathy Mattea
from the album Love Travels
B-side"All Roads to the River"
ReleasedJanuary 18, 1997
GenreCountry
Length4:09
LabelMercury Nashville
Songwriter(s)Gillian Welch, David Rawlings
Producer(s)Ben Wisch, Kathy Mattea
Kathy Mattea singles chronology
"Clown in Your Rodeo"
(1995)		 "455 Rocket"
(1997)		 "Love Travels"
(1997)

Content

The song is about a woman who buys a used Oldsmobile with a powerful 455 V8 engine. Despite its flaws, which include a leaky roof and excessive noise, she enjoys racing and winning against local car enthusiasts. During one race, though, she skids on a curve and crashes through a guardrail; although she is unhurt, the car is badly damaged and has to be towed away.

Mattea noted of the song that the band recorded several takes, but decided to keep the first one because "no one thought they were being recorded, and everyone was just playing with abandon." She also noted that due to the nature of the recording, session musician Jim Keltner can be heard dropping his drumsticks at the end of the song and laughing.[2]

Critical reception

Billboard magazine gave the song a mixed review, saying that it was "cleverly written" but that "neither Mattea's vocal energy nor the production pace infuses the song with the sass and sizzle the lyric suggests."[3]

Personnel

From Love Travels liner notes.[4]

Chart performance
Chart (1997) Peak
position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[5] 16
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] 21
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References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 217.
  2. Flans, Robyn (2006). The Definitive Collection (CD booklet). Kathy Mattea. Mercury Records. B0007233-02.
  3. Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  4. Love Travels (CD booklet). Kathy Mattea. Mercury Nashville. 1997. 314 532 899 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 3159." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. March 24, 1997. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  6. "Kathy Mattea Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
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