The Valley Road

"The Valley Road"
Single by Bruce Hornsby and the Range
from the album Scenes from the Southside
B-side"The Long Race"
ReleasedApril 1988
Genre
Length4:42
LabelRCA Records
Songwriters
Producers
  • Bruce Hornsby
  • Neil Dorfsman
Bruce Hornsby and the Range singles chronology
"Mandolin Rain"
(1986)		 "The Valley Road"
(1988)		 "Look Out Any Window"
(1988)

"The Valley Road" is a song recorded by Bruce Hornsby and the Range. Hornsby co-wrote the song with his brother John Hornsby and co-produced it with Neil Dorfsman. The song is included on Bruce Hornsby and the Range's 1988 album, Scenes from the Southside. It is written in the key of A major.

Released as the lead single from the album, "Scenes from the Southside" it reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1988, peaking at number 5 the week of July 2.[2] It also spent a week atop the Billboard adult contemporary chart in mid-June.[3] This was the group's third song to reach number 1 on the adult contemporary chart, following "The Way It Is" from 1986 and "Mandolin Rain" from 1987. The single spent three weeks at the summit on the Billboard mainstream rock chart, becoming the first of the group's two chart-toppers on that list.[2] Roughly around the same time, the song reached number 44 on the UK Singles Chart.[4]

Background

Hornsby was quoted in an interview with the Chicago Tribune saying that the song was inspired by observations he made growing up in Virginia. "Every year, some rich girl would get involved with some country guy, and they would act irresponsibly and have to deal with the ramifications."[3] When asked why many of his band's songs dealt with socio-political issues, Hornsby replied that "there are some issues that we feel are important, so we write about them... we also like to tell a story, like in 'The Valley Road', or paint a picture."[3]

"The Valley Road" was released as a single by RCA Records with "The Long Race" as the B-side. The twelve-inch single also included a live recording of "Mandolin Rain".[5] A music video was created for the song, which was directed by Gary Weis and produced by Katherine Ireland.[6]

Critical reception

In their review of the single, Cashbox called it a "worthy successor to his last radio tunes", further calling the music "gently rock-country-ish" and the vocal delivery "compassionate".[7] Music Week felt that the song was lacking in comparison to one of his earlier singles, "The Way It Is".[8] Music & Media designated "The Valley Road" as their single of the week, calling it steady and direct piece of uptempo pop. They said that the production was "straight to the point" and that the "sharp, extended piano solo in the middle is another strong asset."[9]

Re-recorded version

In 1989, Hornsby re-recorded "The Valley Road" with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, which was included on the Dirt Band album Will the Circle Be Unbroken: Volume Two. Hornsby and the Dirt Band won a Grammy Award for this recording in 1990 in the category Best Bluegrass Recording. This version of the song was more in the country-bluegrass style of recording, inspired by Leon Russell and his collaborations with the New Grass Revival. Responding to some of the backlash he received from the bluegrass community on his Grammy win, Hornsby stated: "I won the bluegrass Grammy. It pissed off all the purists. And I understand their feeling about this. Here's this pop guy, and he's making this quasi-bluegrass. I totally understood the purists' protest."[10]

Charts

References

  1. ↑ Osmon, Erin (28 April 2026). "Appendix: 150 Essential Heartland Rock Songs". Won't Back Down: Heartland Rock and the Fight for America. New York City: W. W. Norton & Company. pp. 293–300. ISBN 978-1-324-05137-4. Retrieved 13 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 292.
  3. 1 2 3 Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 335.
  4. ↑ Official Charts Company info OfficialCharts.com. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  5. ↑ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. May 21, 2026. p. 25. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  6. ↑ "New Videoclips" (PDF). Billboard. May 28, 1988. p. 53. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cashbox. April 30, 1988. p. 9. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  8. ↑ Smith, Jerry (May 21, 2026). "Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 21. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Previews | Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. May 14, 2026. p. 21. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Bruce Hornsby Revisits Bluegrass on CMT Crossroads" CMT.com, 23 February 2007. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  11. ↑ "Bruce Hornsby & the Range – The Valley Road". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Bruce Hornsby & the Range – The Valley Road" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Image 8720". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Image 8738". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Playlist Report: RAI - Italy" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 20. 14 May 1988. p. 6.
  16. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bruce Hornsby and the Range" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  17. ↑ "Bruce Hornsby & the Range – The Valley Road". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
  18. ↑ "SA Charts 1965 - 1989 (As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion): Acts H". South Africa's Rock Lists Website. South Africa's Rock Lists. October 2000. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  19. ↑ "Bruce Hornsby and the Range Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  20. ↑ "Bruce Hornsby Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Bruce Hornsby Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Bruce Hornsby Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Top 100 Singles of '88" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49, no. 10. December 24, 1988. p. 9. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  24. ↑ "1988 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 52. December 24, 1988. p. Y-20.
  25. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 – 1988". Retrieved October 3, 2016.
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