Born May 6, 1945, in Detroit, the 79-year-old songwriter and performer Bob Seger is timeless. With a bold voice that can go low or belt, Seger has contributed some of the most beloved and important songs to the rock and roll catalog. Famous for working with the Alabama studio band known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, Seger boasts taste and power.
Here below, we wanted to explore three songs by the artist that stand just a little bit above the others in his luminous oeuvre. A trio of tracks that continue to inspire and stir. Indeed, these are three eternal Bob Seger songs that will play forever.
[RELATED: Old Time Rock ‘n’ Roller: 5 Classic Covers in Tribute of Bob Seger]
“Turn the Page” from Back in ’72 (1973)
Opening with a shrieking, howling, haunting saxophone riff, this song begins to open up like a highway on a dark night. The dashes on the pavement separating the lanes passing beneath your tires. Here, Bob Seger talks about leaving, departure, and putting the past where it belongs: behind you. Famously covered by the metal band Metallica, this song is for anyone who knows the road like the back of their hand. Sometimes all we can do is move forward. And that’s the ethos of this track from Seger. On it, he sings,
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
“Old Time Rock and Roll” from Stranger in Town (1979)
Another song that opens with an iconic riff, this time with a descending piano. This track is one of those that doesn’t even seem to have been written by a human being. Rather, it must have just been sent down from the clouds. It’s so timeless it brings the human mind to a singular place where people are dancing, guitar amps are buzzing, and fun is around every corner. There is no generation it belongs to, just as rock itself doesn’t belong to any era (though 1980s Tom Cruise makes a good case). Bob Seger made this song a hit and on it he sings,
Just take those old records off the shelf
I’ll sit and listen to ’em by myself
Today’s music ain’t got the same soul
I like that old time rock ‘n’ roll
Don’t try to take me to a disco
You’ll never even get me out on the floor
In ten minutes I’ll be late for the door
I like that old time rock ‘n’ roll
“Like a Rock” from Like a Rock (1986)
This song is known more these days for its inclusion in truck commercials. Yet, there’s a reason it gets used over and over in ads. It’s just that good. It’s a bit of a downtempo track compared to the one above, reflective and lamenting. Life is hard, confusing, short, bitter. But sometimes there are those solid individuals out there who steady you and make you think there is a reason to all of this. A purpose. Something to hold to. And on the tune, Seger sings,
Stood there boldly, sweatin’ in the Sun
Felt like a million, felt like number one
The height of summer, I’d never felt that strong
Like a rock
I was 18, didn’t have a care
Working for peanuts, not a dime to spare
But I was lean and solid everywhere
Like a rock
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Photo by Fin Costello/Redferns
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