"East Bound and Down" is a song written by Jerry Reed and Deena Kaye Rose,[a] and recorded by Reed for the soundtrack for the film Smokey and the Bandit. The song features Reed on the lead vocal, and vocalist Gordon Stoker of the Jordanaires on the harmony vocal. It was released in August 1977 as a single on RCA Records. The song's lyrics tell the basic plot line of the movie (leaving out the runaway bride element) of making a 28-hour round-trip run from Atlanta, Georgia, to Texarkana, Texas, and back to illegally transport 400 cases of Coors beer for an after-race celebration.
The song spent 16 weeks on the U.S. country music charts, reaching a peak of No. 2.[1] It also reached No. 3 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100.
The "...and Down" in the title and lyric is CB radio jargon for "I'm finished transmitting, but still listening to the channel." "[Direction] bound and down" remains a common sign-off for truckers on CB radio.
A variant version of the song, titled "West Bound and Down," was also recorded by Reed and included on the Smokey and the Bandit soundtrack. This variant is played during the westbound portion of the movie. The lyric "East bound and down -- loaded up and truckin'" is changed to "West bound and down -- eighteen wheels a-rollin'." The music and the rest of the lyrics remain the same.
"East Bound and Down" was performed by Midland at the 52nd Country Music Association Awards in 2018. The band now regularly includes the song in their live shows.
"East Bound and Down" was recorded by Po' Ramblin' Boys featuring Jason Carter & Bronwyn Keith-Hynes as a single in 2021.
The Ford Motor Company revived the song's popularity as part of its F-Series truck advertisements in 2018, where a host of pickups from different years and towing various items, such as barbecue grills, a 1960s-era Ford Bronco, and a statue of the Big Boy mascot, is seen driving down the highway.
An instrumental version of "East Bound and Down" was recorded by Herb Alpert on his 2023 album Wish Upon A Star.[4]
