The latest song of the day is one of the best example of 1970’s classic rock. It’s “Turn the Page” by Bob Seger and was originally released in 1973 as part of Seger’s rock album, Back in ’72.

The song really didn’t enjoy very early success once it was released. It wasn’t until he performed the song live for his 1976 live album, Live Bullet. His performance of the song for that live recording and future live performances at concerts made it a favorite for classic rock stations which continues to give the song consistent radio airplay. Seger’s performance has been called a mixture of mournful and soul-shattering as he sang about the hard and difficult life of the on-the-road musician. It has been quite the influential song for other musicians down the years.

Metallica even covered the song for their 1998 cover album, Garage Inc. It is this Metallica cover of Seger’s song which introduced me to it. The Metallica cover pretty much stays along the same pacing and keep the lyrics intact, but giving the whole production a decidedly heavy metal tone.

Turn the Page

On a long and lonesome highway
East of Omaha
You can listen to the engine
Moanin’ out his one note song
You can think about the woman
Or the girl you knew the night before
But your thoughts will soon be wandering
The way they always do
When you’re ridin’ sixteen hours
And there’s nothin’ much to do
And you don’t feel much like ridin’,
You just wish the trip was through

Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin’ star again
There I go
Turn the page

Well you walk into a restaurant,
Strung out from the road
And you feel the eyes upon you
As you’re shakin’ off the cold
You pretend it doesn’t bother you
But you just want to explode

Most times you can’t hear ’em talk,
Other times you can
All the same old cliches,
“Is that a woman or a man?”
And you always seem outnumbered,
You don’t dare make a stand

Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin’ star again
There I go
Turn the page

Out there in the spotlight
You’re a million miles away
Every ounce of energy
You try to give away
As the sweat pours out your body
Like the music that you play

Later in the evening
As you lie awake in bed
With the echoes from the amplifiers
Ringin’ in your head
You smoke the day’s last cigarette,
Rememberin’ what she said

Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin’ star again
There I go
Turn the page
Here I am
On the road again
There I am
Up on the stage
Here I go
Playin’ star again
There I go
Turn the page
There I go
There I go