Low Rider

"Low Rider" is a song written by American funk band War and producer Jerry Goldstein, which appeared on their album Why Can't We Be Friends?, released in 1975. It reached number one on the Billboard R&B singles chart,[3] peaked at number seven on the Hot 100 singles chart,[4] and number six in Canada.[5]

This article is about a song by the band War. For the vehicle, see lowrider.
"Low Rider"
Single by War
from the album Why Can't We Be Friends?
B-side"So"
Released1975
Recorded1974
Genre
Length3:11
LabelUnited Artists
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Music video
Low Rider on YouTube

According to the AllMusic review of the song, "the lyric takes the cool, laidback image of the low rider — the Chicano culture practice of hydraulically hot-rodding classic cars — and using innuendo, extends the image to a lifestyle". The song features a driving bass line by B. B. Dickerson, which is present almost throughout, and an alto saxophone riff by Charles Miller, who also provides lead vocals and a saxophone solo towards the end of the song that includes a siren-like noise.[6]

Video

A music video was made for it, swapping between shots of the band itself playing the song to footage of low riders cruising. In one shot, the face on the cover art for the album lip-synchs with the song.

Motion picture soundtracks

The song has featured in the following 18 movie soundtracks:[7][8]

Cover versions

The song has been covered by many artists, including the following:[9]

Charts
Chart (1975-1976) Peak
position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[15] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 12
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[3] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[4] 7

Use by George Lopez

Comedian George Lopez has used "Low Rider" as the theme song for his TV shows George Lopez and Lopez Tonight, as well as the "walk-on" music for several of his concert specials. At the 9th ALMA Awards in 2007, Lopez referred to the song as the "Chicano National Anthem."

References
  1. Huey, Steve. "War | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  2. "Less Is More On Sade's New Album". News & Record. December 2, 2000. Retrieved December 2, 2020. ...The "Conspiracy" song in that tradition is "Original Prankster", which features a sample of War's Latin-rock standard "Low Rider" and an appearance by rapper Redman.
  3. "War Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  4. "War Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  5. "RPM Top 100 Singles - December 13, 1975" (PDF).
  6. "Classic Tracks: Los Angeles Edition - Mixonline". www.mixonline.com. October 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  7. "Theatrical movie soundtracks featuring "Low Rider" performed by War". www.imdb.com. June 2015. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  8. "Paulie 1998 Soundtrack". www.imdb.com. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  9. "Cover versions of Low Rider written by B.B. Dickerson,Charles Miller,Harold Brown,Howard E. Scott,Jerry Goldstein,Lee Oskar,Lonnie Jordan,Papa Dee Allen - SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  10. Low Rider on YouTube
  11. "Staying Power: Barry White" from Amazon.com
  12. ""Low Rider - Barry White"". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
  13. "PopJazz overview". Allmusic.com.
  14. "Warren Hill Creates New Record Label Called Pop Jazz". SmoothVibes.com.
  15. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7264." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  16. "War: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
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