"Rollin' with the Flow" is a song first released by American country music artist T.G. Sheppard, in 1974 on the B-side of a single and in 1975 on his debut album T.G. Sheppard. It is better known for a version released by Charlie Rich in 1977. The Rich single was his eighth Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles charts.[1] "Rollin' with the Flow" also crossed over into the top-40 of the adult contemporary music charts and narrowly missed the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 101 on the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart. The song returned to the country music charts in 2008, with a version by Mark Chesnutt reaching number 25 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
| "Rollin' with the Flow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Charlie Rich | ||||
| from the album Rollin' with the Flow | ||||
| B-side | "To Sing a Love Song" | |||
| Released | May 1977 | |||
| Recorded | April 1977 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:43 | |||
| Label | Epic 50392 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jerry Hayes | |||
| Producer(s) | Billy Sherrill | |||
| Charlie Rich singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content
editThe mid-tempo song is sung from the perspective of a man who, despite being at an age when most of his peers have started raising families (at least 30 years old according to the second line), still lives a hard-partying, rock-and-roll lifestyle more in tune with far younger men. The song also makes reference to his Christian faith, noting that he knows he cannot continue like this in heaven (thus why he does it while he is still alive) and that he will eventually be forgiven, not just by Jesus, but his "crazy friends" as well.
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[2] | 47 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[3] | 1 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[4] | 1 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[5] | 32 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 100 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 35 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (1977) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 6 |
Mark Chesnutt version
edit| "Rollin' with the Flow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Mark Chesnutt | ||||
| from the album Rollin' with the Flow | ||||
| Released | August 2007 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:47 | |||
| Label | Lofton Creek | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jerry Hayes | |||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Ritchey | |||
| Mark Chesnutt singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 2007, country music artist Mark Chesnutt recorded the song as the title track for an album. It was released on June 24, 2008. Chesnutt's version became his first Top 40 hit since "I'm a Saint" in late 2004-early 2005, peaking at number 25.
Chart performance
edit| Chart (2007–2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 25 |
Kurt Vile version
editAmerican indie rock artist Kurt Vile covered the song on his 2018 album, Bottle It In.[8]
References
edit- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 289.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 251. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Charlie Rich Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Charlie Rich Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard.
- ^ "Charlie Rich Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1977". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ^ "Mark Chesnutt Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "Kurt Vile: Always rollin' with the flow". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved January 1, 2019.