Musician and artist Paul Roberts of Sniff 'n' the Tears tells the story behind 'Driver's Seat'. A short documentary by Top 2000 a gogo from 2015 (Dutch Public Television).
Not just a great _song_, but a great _record_. The buildup of instrumental textures, of multiple hooks going on simultaneously, makes this endlessly replayable.
@@cliffdiver5357 , Definitely! There was/is a Sound, Vocals, Lyrics, Flavor, Mood, Emotions, Feeling, Art, other Great Tunes, definitely should have been recognized. Especially to see some of the stuff that has been/is- pushed hard to be heard, listened to, played on Radio, played on TV, pushed everywhere you can imagine, sold, and actually bought. Is crazy! Mind slamming.
I'd like to point out that this is 42 years later and the man can still belt out near pristine vocals... no autotune.... no finishing or editing... literally sitting in the middle of a room just singing. That sort of talent flat out isn't found in todays "artists". I've loved that song for my entire life.
You took my emotions and put them in to words. Thank you for giving this artist's talents justice. He can still hold the same tone, tune and length of his line exactly as he did without wavering. His guitar playing is flawless and effortless. Don't see artists like this anymore or bands that actually play instruments.
I was at sea on an aircraft carrier when this song came out in 1979 and for the entirety of 1980 was stationed in the Philippines in the Navy, so I missed this song my entire life. I'm 67 and heard it for the first time yesterday and love it! What a shame to not experience this wonderful song for so many years.
You need to dig into the albums... especially the 1st... fickle heart... cover to cover, it is incredible!... you'd NEVER again insult them as a "one hit wonder".
Nicholas Johnson I always believed that. That’s what makes those early 60’s hits by Neil Diamond so awesome. Three or four awesome chords pounded out on a good acoustic guitar
@@spikeboots5133 NOW you're talking! I've already listened to this over and over and probably will again since I saved it. I grew up with ND too and loved everything he did. Thanks 😊.
One of my favorite driving songs. Heck, one of my favorites songs, period. It was released during the disco era so that prevented it from getting more airplay. He hasn't lost a thing after all of these years.
I watched that Top of the Pops appearance with kids I was at school with at the time. It was in the mid-summer of 1979. Great track and criminally underrated in the UK charts. There was a stack of really good songs that either only just got into the Top 40 or were left just outside it in the middle of that summer. Those distribution difficulties could be a partial explanation for its rather odd chart run,holding steady one week then bouncing up or down 25 or 30 places the next. Incidentally,the Gang of Four song that was going to be on but wasn't was At Home He's a Tourist,which peaked just a little lower than Driver's Seat and I remember hearing on the radio back then. Driver's Steat was unquestionably the better choice but I still found the more punkish,new wave-ish Gang of Four number interesting enough in its own right while thinking it would have benefitted from slightly sharper,more beefed-up production,specifically to bring the rumbling bass,guitar and drums in it right out there. The week Driver's Seat was on Top of the Pops the top 50 of the UK singles chart looked like this (chart first aired 3rd July 1979,Top of the Pops 5th July,w/e 7th July): 1 (1) Are Friends Electric? - Tubeway Army; 2 (3) Up the Junction - Squeeze; 3 (23) Silly Games - Janet Kay; 4 (2) Ring My Bell - Anita Ward [a former number 1]; 5 (10) Night Owl - Gerry Rafferty; 6 (18) Light My Fire/137 Disco Heaven - Amii Stewart; 7 (5) The Lone Ranger - Quantum Jump; 8 (4) Boogie Wonderland - Earth,Wind & Fire with the Emotions; 9 (24) C;mon Everybody - Sex Pistols; 10 (6) Dance Away - Roxy Music 11 (7) Sunday Girl - Blondie [another former number 1]; 12 (15) Living on the Front Line - Eddy Grant; 13 (8) Ain't No Stopping Us Now - McFadden & Whitehead; 14 (14) Who Were You With in the Moonlight? - Dollar; 15 (9) H.A.P.P.Y. Radio - Edwin Starr; 16 (13) Cavatina - John Williams; 17 (11) We Are Family - Sister Sledge; 18 (21) Go West - Village People; 19 (12) Theme From the Deer Hunter (Cavatina) - Shadows; 20 (26) Maybe (theme from The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams) - Thom Pace 21 (22) Babylon's Burning - Ruts; 22 (53) Good Times - Chic; 23 (19) Say When - Lene Lovich; 24 (20) Gertcha - Chas & Dave; 25 (16) Masquerade - Skids; 26 (29) Do Anything You Want to Do - Thin Lizzy; 27 (31) Wanted - Dooleys; 28 (27) Lady Lynda - Beach Boys; 29 (58) Girls' Talk - Dave Edmunds; 30 (34) Born to Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez 31 (30) Space Bass - Slick; 32 (51) Breakfast in America - Supertramp; 33 (37) Stranglehold - UK Subs; 34 (NEW) Death Disco - Public Image Limited; 35 (36) Married Men - Bonnie Tyler; 36 (41) Chuck E's in Love - Rickie Lee Jones; 37 (17) Shine a Little Love - Electric Light Orchestra; 38 (35) Old Siam Sir - Wings; 39 (NEW) Bad Girls - Donna Summer; 40 (33) Head Over Heels in Love - Kevin Keegan 41 (42) My Sharona - The Knack; 42 (72) Driver's Seat - Sniff 'n' the Tears; 43 (46) Dance With Me - Carrie Lucas; 44 (28) Hot Stuff - Donna Summer; 45 (NEW) Don't Kill it Carol - Mannfred Mann's Earthband; 46 (45) Love is the Answer - England Dan & John Ford Coley; 47 (NEW) Playground Twist - Siouxsie & the Banshees; 48 (43) Baby Lie Down - Ruby Winters; 49 (39) Half Way Hotel - Voyager; 50 (69) I Was Made For Loving You - Kiss That's enough typing for me for now,I'm off outside to rest my fingers and relax in the summer sun😎.
I've used this song in a few driving SHORTS, coz we drive on the left side of the road!🚗 Perfect, groovy, amazing song. 🎵🗝🎶 Brings back my teen years! Thanks for the interview😊 I've always been addicted to this song🎵🎶
Whenever i take possession of a new vehicle, I play this song on my way home from the dealership. I have done it on at least 10 cars and trucks. Silly little ritual that has served me well over the years. Owned it on cassette and now on iTunes. Still one of the best tunes ever recorded.
Love the song and the video. The singing, writing and arranging is great. Other notables, love the lead guitar player and Noel's performance on back up vocals.
this is a great song, i wish they could of made it big. and what a wonderful talented artist. truly a gifted man. i dont even have one gift. i hope this song never gets old and the radio stations keep playing it. thats why im writing this today bc our local radio station happened to play this early morning and it caught my ear ,so i had to come look this band up and school myself on them.
Yes, one of the my favorite driving songs. I loved this song when I got my K-tel "Hits of 1980" record album when I was 8. I was so happy when they included this banger in the Boogie Nights Soundtrack.
you will never know how important your song has been it has supported by heart n soul through the hardest time of my life, what you wrote it about was nothing to do with how it inspired me but your state of perfection in the song reached mine. Thank you so much Paul Roberts.
I was a young teenager when I first heard "Drivers Seat", in America and I was simply crazy about this song. Today I listen to it at least once a day. That's how much I will always love it and the happy way it makes me feel. Even today it brings back only happy memories. Wow
It was 1978, I was 12, I heard this and was blown away. It instantly became my favorite song. It still is. I purchased every album they ever recorded, each one superb. I am quite possibly the biggest fan in the world. Seriously. Mr. Paul Roberts, besides being a musical genius, also an incredible artist, each album cover a work of great art in and of itself. Thank you Top 2000 a gogo for posting this, it was a real treat! Thank you Mr. Roberts for the wonderful sounds, one of a kind for sure.
DJDanceClassic , you mean they had only one commercial hit. Good is relative, right. There are several artists and bands that never made it big but I love their music, songwriting, and style.
@@DJDanceClassic They had a lot of good songs. Check out their song 'New Lines Of Love' it's fantastic! Then respond back here, and tell me how much you love the song.
I worked in a deli in a supermarket and this song would play on the PA in the bakery in 2005. I picked up the best of Sniff ' n the Tears shortly after. Who knew when the disco crap was going on in the states when I was 10, this British band was writing great music!?
I love this song. Brings back a 40 yr old memory. Of being in the passenger seat with my old love heading to the beach house in his 1976 Z28 one night. With his friend following us there. Until he pulled up beside us in his Trans Am and pointed his finger. The race was on. Young and wild.
Great song from my teenage years. The mix of acoustic and electric guitar was rare and it was done very smoothly. Underrated song in my opinion and one of the best guitar riffs to be heard.
One of my favorite songs. even after all these yrs. I sill play this song onlie at least once a week . For over 40 yrs. 1979 to be exact.. No kids. no husbad. Just out of SDSU with a masters degree. i was the shit.!!!!
1979. Waiting for a red light at an intersection in Tujunga , So. Cal . Song comes on for the first time , I got so blown away , I rocked out and missed my left turn . It Was and still is Worth it .
Your Top 2000 series is seriously one of the greatest things that’s ever happened to RU-vid. Your love of the music is palpable in every interview you do.
That's where I heard it, on one of Top Gear's Best Of, driving compilations back in the 90's. Essentially a rock music compilation. It was incredible back then and I still enjoy it now. Classic Rock at it's most timeless.
First time I heard it was in the fall of 1979 on school bus in football uniform going to an away game.Loved it immediately and it completely fired me up for the game.Unfortunately we lost badly.
The greatest driving song ever! I still have my original and very well worn cassette from back in the day, good to see Paul has stood the test of time as well as his fabulous song.
One of the GREATEST 'driving songs' ever recorded. Just as he sings it: 'a little jivin' on a Saturday night' as you cruise down the boulevard of Whatever Town. This song just oozes coolness listening to it as you drive, and yet there's a terrible sense of sadness and loss emanating from the lyrics as well. All of that make the song pure genius, even if it was a just another One Hit Wonder of the era.
Incredible song, enjoy it now. First time I heard it, it stopped me in my tracks with a whisper in my head, under the music, saying "Listen, changes are happening". Soon after, I packed my family and moved from Illinois to California... And changes are still going on... I love it and the music.
My friend had a Datsun 260, a go cart...and this song was a favorite! Along with The Cars and April Wine and so many others! We hammered the roads and girls and had a blast!
Always loved this song but I forgot about it for awhile and then I saw Boogie Nights and it brought it back for me. The song has a lot of energy its in my top 100 of all time.
I had missed this song in all my time listening to music... I don't know how that happened..... but I think it's right up there in the top 100 of all time !
I watched that Top of the Pops appearance with kids I was at school with at the time. It was in the mid-summer of 1979. Great track and criminally underrated in the UK charts. There was a stack of really good songs that either only just got into the Top 40 or were left just outside it in the middle of that summer. Those distribution difficulties could be a partial explanation for its rather odd chart run,holding steady one week then bouncing up or down 25 or 30 places the next. Incidentally,the Gang of Four song that was going to be on but wasn't was At Home He's a Tourist,which peaked just a little lower than Driver's Seat and I remember hearing on the radio back then. Driver's Steat is unquestionably the better of the two but I still found the Gang of Four number interesting in its own right; I thought it would have benefitted from slightly more beefed-up production,specifically to bring the rumbling bass and drums in it right out there. The week Driver's Seat was on Top of the Pops the top 50 of the UK singles chart looked like this (chart first aired 3rd July 1979,Top of the Pops 5th July,w/e 7th July): 1 (1) Are Friends Electric? - Tubeway Army; 2 (3) Up the Junction - Squeeze; 3 (23) Silly Games - Janet Kay; 4 (2) Ring My Bell - Anita Ward [a former number 1]; 5 (10) Night Owl - Gerry Rafferty; 6 (18) Light My Fire/137 Disco Heaven - Amii Stewart; 7 (5) The Lone Ranger - Quantum Jump; 8 (4) Boogie Wonderland - Earth,Wind & Fire with the Emotions; 9 (24) C;mon Everybody - Sex Pistols; 10 (6) Dance Away - Roxy Music 11 (7) Sunday Girl - Blondie [another former number 1]; 12 (15) Living on the Front Line - Eddy Grant; 13 (8) Ain't No Stopping Us Now - McFadden & Whitehead; 14 (14) Who Were You With in the Moonlight? - Dollar; 15 (9) H.A.P.P.Y. Radio - Edwin Starr; 16 (13) Cavatina - John Williams; 17 (11) We Are Family - Sister Sledge; 18 (21) Go West - Village People; 19 (12) Theme From the Deer Hunter (Cavatina) - Shadows; 20 (26) Maybe (theme from The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams) - Thom Pace 21 (22) Babylon's Burning - Ruts; 22 (53) Good Times - Chic; 23 (19) Say When - Lene Lovich; 24 (20) Gertcha - Chas & Dave; 25 (16) Masquerade - Skids; 26 (29) Do Anything You Want to Do - Thin Lizzy; 27 (31) Wanted - Dooleys; 28 (27) Lady Lynda - Beach Boys; 29 (58) Girls' Talk - Dave Edmunds; 30 (34) Born to Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez 31 (30) Space Bass - Slick; 32 (51) Breakfast in America - Supertramp; 33 (37) Stranglehold - UK Subs; 34 (NEW) Death Disco - Public Image Limited; 35 (36) Married Men - Bonnie Tyler; 36 (41) Chuck E's in Love - Rickie Lee Jones; 37 (17) Shine a Little Love - Electric Light Orchestra; 38 (35) Old Siam Sir - Wings; 39 (NEW) Bad Girls - Donna Summer; 40 (33) Head Over Heels in Love - Kevin Keegan 41 (42) My Sharona - The Knack; 42 (72) Driver's Seat - Sniff 'n' the Tears; 43 (46) Dance With Me - Carrie Lucas; 44 (28) Hot Stuff - Donna Summer; 45 (NEW) Don't Kill it Carol - Mannfred Mann's Earthband; 46 (45) Love is the Answer - England Dan & John Ford Coley; 47 (NEW) Playground Twist - Siouxsie & the Banshees; 48 (43) Baby Lie Down - Ruby Winters; 49 (39) Half Way Hotel - Voyager; 50 (69) I Was Made For Loving You - Kiss
