Hitchin' a Ride (Green Day song)

Not to be confused with Hitchin' a Ride (Vanity Fare song).

"Hitchin' a Ride" is a song by American rock band Green Day. It was released in September 1997 as the first single from their fifth album, Nimrod, and is the second track on the album. The single reached number five on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, number nine on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and number 25 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Hitchin' a Ride"
Single by Green Day
from the album Nimrod
B-side	"Sick" "Espionage"
Released	September 29, 1997 (1997-09-29)
Studio	Conway (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Rock and roll[1] rockabilly[2] alternative rock[1] grunge[3]
Length	2:51
Label	Reprise
Composer(s)	Green Day
Lyricist(s)	Billie Joe Armstrong
Producer(s)	Rob Cavallo Green Day
Green Day singles chronology
"Brain Stew / Jaded" (1996) "Hitchin' a Ride" (1997) "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" (1997)
Music video
"Hitchin' A Ride" on YouTube

The song was later featured as the fourteenth track on their International Superhits! (2001) and as the eighth track off of God's Favorite Band (2017).

Reception

PopMatters listed "Hitchin' a Ride" as the sixth best Green Day song, citing "Suiting its falling-off-the-wagon subject matter, "Hitchin’ a Ride" is a hellish yet exhilarating track that makes picking up a bottle look like probably not wisest idea one could have."^[4]

Music video

The music video for "Hitchin' a Ride" was directed by Mark Kohr, the director that Green Day had favored throughout the Dookie and Insomniac singles. Coherently with the subject of the song, the music video shows the band performing in a scenery reminiscent of Prohibition era, amongst suggestive characters in costumes.

"Hitchin' a Ride" can also be found on International Superhits!, Bullet in a Bible and Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band. The music video is included on International Supervideos!.

Track listings

1. "Hitchin' a Ride"
2. "Sick" (non-LP track)
3. "Espionage" (non-LP track)

LP box set

A-side:

1. "Hitchin' a Ride"
2. "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"

B-side:

1. "Scattered"
2. "Uptight"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[5] 26 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 23 Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[7] 1 UK Singles (OCC)[8] 25 US Radio Songs (Billboard)[9] 59 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[10] 5 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[11] 9

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[12] 55 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[13] 45 Chart (1998) Position US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[14] 88

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[15]	Gold	40,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	August 1997	Radio	Reprise	[16]
United Kingdom	September 29, 1997	CD cassette		[17]
Japan	October 15, 1997	CD		[18]

See also

• List of RPM Rock/Alternative number-one singles (Canada)

References

1. "The 79 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1997". April 25, 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
2. GillianG. Gaar (October 28, 2009). Green Day: Rebels With a Cause. Omnibus Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-85712-059-5.
3. Strength, Reed (October 28, 2016). "Ranking Green Day's 12 Albums". Paste Magazine. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
4. AJ Ramirez. "Nice Guys Finish Last: The Top 15 Green Day Songs". PopMatters. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
5. "Green Day – Hitchin' a Ride". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
6. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3362." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
7. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 7914." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
8. "Green Day: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
9. "Green Day Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
10. "Green Day Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
11. "Green Day Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
12. "Best of '97: Mainstream Rock Tracks". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 5, no. 52. December 26, 1997. p. 28.
13. "Best of '97: Modern Rock Tracks". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 5, no. 52. December 26, 1997. p. 30.
14. "Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 36.
15. "Canadian single certifications – Green Day – Hitchin' a Ride". Music Canada. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
16. Rosen, Craig (September 20, 1997). "Green Day Grows Beyond Punk on 'Nimrod'". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 38. p. 81. The single 'Hitchin' A Ride' went to radio in late August.
17. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. September 27, 1997. p. 37.
18. "ヒッチン・ア・ライド | グリーン・デイ" [Hitchin' a Ride | Green Day] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 22, 2023.