Drive (Incubus song)

"Drive"
Single by Incubus
from the album Make Yourself
ReleasedNovember 14, 2000 (2000-11-14)
StudioNRG (North Hollywood)
Genre
Length3:52
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Incubus singles chronology
"Stellar"
(2000) 		"Drive"
(2000) 		"Wish You Were Here"
(2001)
Audio sample
A sample from "Drive" by Incubus
Music video
"Drive" on YouTube

"Drive" is a song by American rock band Incubus, released on November 14, 2000, as the third single from their third album, Make Yourself (1999). It is the band's biggest hit and breakthrough single, eventually reaching the top of the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart on March 3, 2001, and number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 28, 2001. It also reached number four in Portugal, number 13 in New Zealand, number 34 in Australia, and number 40 in the United Kingdom. In 2001, "Drive" won a Billboard Award for Modern Rock Single of the Year.[2] Director Bill Draheim documented the making of "Drive" in Save Me from My Half-Life Drive.

Content

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According to lead singer Brandon Boyd, "The lyric is basically about fear, about being driven all your life by it and making decisions from fear. It's about imagining what life would be like if you didn't live it that way."[3][4]

Reception and legacy

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Sean Adams of Drowned in Sound gave the song an 8 out of 10 in his 2001 review. He wrote that "maybe it can be called a rock ballad, I mean it does have the odd harmony, drum smack and a guitar or two. What makes this different is the lil’ samples and scratches and the voice of Brandon." Adams also added, "by stereotypical definition Brandon Boyd is a heartthrob, but to thousands (at the moment), rather than millions and that is because for some reason Incubus haven't had the kick from the media they deserve."[5]

In 2023, for the 35th anniversary of the Alternative Airplay chart (which was called Modern Rock Tracks at the time of the song's release), Billboard ranked "Drive" as the 15th-most successful song in the chart's history.[6][7] That same year, "Drive" and Hoobastank's "The Reason" both experienced surges in streaming numbers after being featured on an episode of Netflix's series Beef. Billboard described the two songs as a "pair of alt-metal ballads."[8] The publication also placed it 82nd on a 2021 list of "The 100 Greatest Car Songs of All Time".[9] In 2024, Consequence of Sound placed it 37th on their list of the "50 best post-grunge songs", stating that "Incubus' Brandon Boyd has garnered many comparisons to Faith No More's Mike Patton, who bore his own influence on the post-grunge scene — but on 'Drive,' the band combined their smartest impulses to form their signature hit, with a sound only Incubus could boast."[10]

Music video

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Directed by Phil Harder[11] and based on M.C. Escher's Drawing Hands, the music video features a simple musical session intercut with a rotoscoped animation of Brandon Boyd drawing himself, which was handled by both Boyd and drummer José Pasillas. The non-animated scenes were shot in the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota. The video was nominated for Best Group Video at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards but lost to 'N Sync.

Track listings

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Credits and personnel

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Credits are taken from the European CD2 liner notes.[17]

Studios

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[44] Gold 35,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[45] Gold 400,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States November 14, 2000 Alternative radio
[46]
November 20, 2000 (2000-11-20) CD [12]
February 5, 2001 Hot adult contemporary radio [47]
February 6, 2001 Contemporary hit radio [48]
Australia April 16, 2001 CD [49]
United Kingdom June 11, 2001
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
 Epic [50]

References

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  1. ^ "Ranking: Every Alternative Rock No. 1 Hit From Worst to Best". Consequence. March 28, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  2. ^ "2001 Billboard Music Awards". InfoPlease. February 11, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  3. ^ "Song Facts – Drive by Incubus". Facts about songs. Tone Fuse Music. Retrieved October 8, 2011. The lyric is basically about fear, about being driven all your life by it and making decisions from fear. It's about imagining what life would be like if you didn't live it that way.
  4. ^ "What Incubus song has a doctor talking about a car crash?". ChaCha. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2011.
  5. ^ Adams, Sean (May 28, 2001). "Single Review: Incubus – Drive". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on October 29, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  6. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (September 7, 2023). "Alternative Airplay Chart's 35th Anniversary: Foo Fighters Remain No. 1 Act, 'Monsters' New Top Song". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  7. ^ "Greatest of All Time Alternative Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 6, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  8. ^ Unterberger, Jason Lipshutz,Andrew; Lipshutz, Jason; Unterberger, Andrew (April 19, 2023). "Frank Ocean's Streams Up 94% After Much-Discussed Coachella Performance".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ https://www.billboard.com/media/lists/greatest-car-songs-all-time-top-100-9591317/
  10. ^ "50 Best Post-Grunge Songs".
  11. ^ "Production Notes" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 12. March 24, 2001. p. 68. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  12. ^ a b c "Incubus – Drive". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  13. ^ Drive (Australian maxi-CD single liner notes). Incubus. Epic Records, Immortal Records. 2001. 670928.2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Drive (UK CD single liner notes). Incubus. Epic Records. 2001. 671378 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Drive (UK 7-inch EP liner notes). Incubus. Epic Records. 2001. 671378 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ Drive (European CD1 liner notes). Incubus. Epic Records. 2001. EPC 6710401.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ a b Drive (European CD2 liner notes). Incubus. Epic Records. 2001. EPC 671040 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ "Canadian Top 20 in 2001" (PDF). Cross Canada Countdown. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 7, 2005. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  19. ^ "Incubus – Drive" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  20. ^ "Íslenski Listinn (04.01. 2001)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). April 1, 2001. p. 10. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  21. ^ "Incubus – Drive". Top 40 Singles.
  22. ^ "Drive – Incubus" (in Polish). Szczecińska Lista Przebojów. August 18, 2001. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  23. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19, no. 32. August 4, 2001. p. 9. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  24. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  25. ^ "Incubus – Drive". Swiss Singles Chart.
  26. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  27. ^ "Incubus Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  28. ^ "Incubus Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  29. ^ "Incubus Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  30. ^ "Incubus Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  31. ^ "Incubus Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  32. ^ "Incubus Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  33. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2001". ARIA. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  34. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2001 (200–101)". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 26, 2002. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
  35. ^ "BDS CHART : Top 100 of 2001". Jam!. Archived from the original on July 1, 2002. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  36. ^ "End of Year Charts 2001". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  37. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 2001". Archived from the original on March 4, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  38. ^ "The Year in Music 2001: Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. December 29, 2001. p. YE-82. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  39. ^ "The Year in Music 2001: Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. December 29, 2001. p. YE-70. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  40. ^ "Most-Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 2001". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 9, no. 51. December 21, 2001. p. 60.
  41. ^ "The Year in Music 2001: Hot Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. December 29, 2001. p. 72. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
  42. ^ "America's Best: 2001 – Most-Played Triple-A Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 9, no. 51. December 21, 2001. p. 45.
  43. ^ "Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. December 20, 2002. p. 16.
  44. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  45. ^ "British single certifications – Incubus – Drive". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  46. ^ "Alternative: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1376. November 10, 2000. p. 133. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  47. ^ "Hot AC: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1387. February 2, 2001. p. 92. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  48. ^ "CHR/Pop: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1387. February 2, 2001. p. 47. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  49. ^ "The ARIA Report: ARIA New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 16th April 2001" (PDF). ARIA. April 16, 2001. p. 23. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2002. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  50. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting June 11, 2001: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. June 9, 2001. p. 31. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
[edit]
  • Website of the animated short film 'I move so I am' (The Netherlands, 1997) of animator Gerrit van Dijk on which the official music video "Drive" was based.
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