Road Runner (Bo Diddley song)


"Road Runner" is a 12-bar blues song performed by American rock and roll performer Bo Diddley, originally released as a single by Checker Records in January 1960, and later released on the LP record Bo Diddley in the Spotlight. The song reached #20 on Billboard magazine's Hot R&B Sides chart, and #75 on the Hot 100. The song has since been recorded by many artists.
The beep-beep chorus of the song clearly references the Roadrunner animated character with its triumphant beep-beep.

Background and recording

The session for "Road Runner" took place late September 1959 in Chicago, Illinois and backing Diddley were Jerome Green, Clifton James, guest pianist Otis Spann, Peggy Jones, and Bobby Baskerville.
The song is often confused with Road Runner, an R & B song written by the songwriting team of Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, and Edward Holland, Jr..

Other versions

The American garage band the Gants released "Road Runner" as a single in 1965 and it made #46 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is their only Billboard charter.
The early Canadian rock band the Count Victors released a cover version in 1963, Coral 62356.
Many British Invasion artists have recorded "Road Runner":
The song was also recorded as a part of the Backbeat soundtrack by a supergroup consisting of Dave Grohl, Dave Pirner, Thurston Moore, Mike Mills, Greg Dulli and Don Fleming.

Use in media

Starting in February 2012, the song was being used as the background music in a Mazda car commercial for their SkyActiv technology. A short clip of Diddley singing it was included.