Forty Miles of Bad Road explained

"Forty Miles of Bad Road" is a rock and roll instrumental recorded by Duane Eddy. Released as a single in 1959, it also appeared on Eddy's 1960 album $1,000,000 Worth of Twang.

Chart performance

The song charted at #9 on the Pop chart.^[2] "Forty Miles of Bad Road" also went to #17 on the Hot R&B Sides chart.^[3]

Chart (1959)	Peak position
Canada (CHUM Chart)[4] (2wks@4)	4
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[5]	11
US Billboard Hot 100	9
US Billboard Hot R&B Sides	17

Song influence

• The idiom is referenced in the lyrics of the R.E.M. song "Crush with Eyeliner": "She's a sad tomato/She's three miles of bad road".
• It is also referenced in Bob Dylan's 2000 Academy Award winning song "Things Have Changed": "I've been walking forty miles of bad road/If the Bible is right, the world will explode."^[6]

Notes and References

1. Web site: www.allmusic.com. allmusic.com. March 4, 2023.
2. Koda, Cub (1994).Rock Instrumental Classics Volume 1: The Fifties (p. 14) [CD booklet]. Los Angeles: Rhino Records.
3. Book: Whitburn, Joel . Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Joel Whitburn . 2004 . Record Research . 182.
4. Web site: CHUM Hit Parade - July 13, 1959.
5. Web site: officialcharts.com. officialcharts.com. March 4, 2023.
6. https://www.bobdylan.com/songs/things-have-changed/