"Hit the Road Jack" - Ray Charles

Hit the Road Jack

one of R&B's biggest hits

Aya Zerkoune 3°3

What is this music ?

• Jazz and R'n'B (Rythm and blues)

• Written by the singer Percy Mayfield (1960)

• Recorded by Ray charles w/ The Raelettes

vocalist Margie Hendrix (1961)

• was a number 1 hit in 1961 in US

• won a Grammy Award for Best R'n'B Recording

• ranked 387th of the 500 greatest songs

of all time by Rolling Stone

A music with a background...

• The title refers to the novel

"On the road" ( Jack Kerouac : 1957)

• theme of the song's lyrics reflects Ray

Charles's personal life as an artist, and his marital conflicts with his second wife, the singer Della Robinson over his desire to devote his life to his career of singer

• song recorded in the form of a conflictual

spoken-sung conversation

Now baby, listen baby, don't ya treat me this way 'Cause I'll be back on my feet some day...

(Don't care if you do 'cause it's understood.) (You ain't got no money, you just ain't no good.)

Some ranks and awards !

• #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 for a

two-week perioD

• Grammy Awards for Best R'n'b

Recording in 1961

• song recorded during the Grammy Hall of

Fame Award in 2012

The end of

the Oral

Aya Zerkoune 3°3