It’s been two years since celebrity rap-rocker and Michigan homeboy Kid Rock blew up the airwaves with his international chart-topping smash hit “All Summer Long,” but instead of falling by the wayside—the fate of most pop singles—this Northern Michigan tribute has become the nation’s new enduring summer anthem.
The tune is a catchy mash-up of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama,” with nostalgic lyrics about sandbars, docks, campfires, walleye, moonlight and young love by a Northern Michigan lake.
The song, a number-one hit in eight countries across Europe and Australia, including the UK, has now crossed over to country music radio, giving Kid Rock his first top-ten country hit. The song was the official theme song to WWE’s pay-per-view event, Backlash 2008. Also, the song was performed on the MTV music awards with rapper Lil Wayne in 2008.
“All Summer Long” is the biggest hit of Kid Rock’s career. It reached number 23 on the Hot 100, based only on radio airplay since Kid Rock does not make any of his music available through iTunes. The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, reached the top ten on Mainstream Top 40 radio and reached the top ten on Billboard’s Adult Top 40. Kid Rock has had three songs hit the American Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, including “Picture” and “Single Father”, both in 2003, and reaching number four.
But beyond the national acclaim, “All Summer Long” is Kid Rock’s first international hit. The song went to number one in the UK replacing Dizzee Rascal’s “Dance Wiv Me” and eventually being replaced itself by Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl”. “All Summer Long” topped the charts in The Netherlands, Ireland, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. It has reached the top five in Norway, Sweden, Turkey and Poland. In Australia, the song is his first top ten and number one single.
“All Summer Long” has even found its way into a new video game being released by Seven45 Studios—Power Gig: Rise of the Six-String. Songs included in the game range from metal to punk, southern rock, pop and feature both major label artists and newcomers in indie music. So far, “All Summer Long” joins “Layla” by Eric Clapton, “Fall Behind Me” by The Donna, “She’s a Genius” by Jet and “Cult of Personality” by Living Colours on the game.
Seems to us that this ode to Northern Michigan, crooned by a made-in-Michigan rocker, has made us all but forget that legendary summer ballad of the same name, by, um, now who were those beachy boys from, where was it, California?
what is the old 1980"s commercial jingle about front street traverse city michigan 49684. I grew up in cheboygan and all of a sudden it hit me how much i sang that little jingle as a kid…. I still remember the zipcode!!!