"Send Me on My Way"
Single by Rusted Root
from the album Cruel Sun and When I Woke
Released1994
GenreRoots rock
Length4:33 (Cruel Sun version)
4:19 (When I Woke version)[1]
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Michael Glabicki
  • Liz Berlin
  • John Buynak
  • Jim Dispirito
  • Jim Donovan
  • Patrick Norman
  • Jennifer Wertz[2]
Producer(s)
Rusted Root singles chronology
"Send Me on My Way"
(1994) 		"Ecstasy"
(1995)

"Send Me on My Way" is a 1994 song by American worldbeat rock band Rusted Root. Originally released as a rough version on 1992's Cruel Sun, it was re-recorded in 1994 for their second album, When I Woke, and released as the lead single.[2] Root's frontman, Michael Glabicki, wrote the lyrics, and its other members – Liz Berlin, John Buynak, Jim Dispirito, Jim Donovan, Patrick Norman and Jennifer Wertz – contributed to the track.[2] It peaked at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100.[4]

While the song was not an immediate commercial success, it has since become an "iconic track of the 1990s", mainly due its prominence in several movies and TV series, including Pie in the Sky, Matilda, Party of Five, Ice Age and New Girl.[5][6]

Critical reception

Critical reception has been mixed. In January 2014, in a review for Cruel Sun, Kurt Keefner said that "the African vocal riff from 'Send Me on My Way' is bad Ladysmith Black Mambazo",[7] whereas Chris Baker of Syracuse.com said "The song's pep and lightheartedness is undoubtedly responsible for its success. Unlike the fervor found in songs like 'Ecstasy' or 'Lost in a Crowd,' 'Send Me on My Way' is unbridled optimism – perfect for a children's movie."[8]

Music video

Directed by Sean Alquist, the music video was filmed in the badlands of South Dakota in late 1994.[9]

Charts

Chart performance for "Send Me on My Way"
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Radio and Records Pop[10] 39
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 72

Certifications

Certifications for "Send Me on My Way"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

In popular culture

NASA engineers chose "Send Me on My Way" as "wake up" music for the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, for Sol 21.[13]

Because of its use in popular culture, frontman Glabicki has said that the song has "become a different thing for us. It's this thing that lives next to us. Everyone has a great memory or connection with the song. The song grew up and now has a life of its own; it's bigger; we get to sit back and watch it."[14]

References

  1. ^ "Send Me on My Way – Rusted Root | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d When I Woke (Media notes). Rusted Root. PolyGram Records. 1994.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ Cruel Sun (Media notes). Rusted Root. Blue Duck. 1992.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  4. ^ Billboard Hot 100. Billboard.com
  5. ^ Rusted Root endures with the help of 'Send Me On My Way' Syracuse.com
  6. ^ Rusted Root just as political as ever before South Bend Tribune
  7. ^ Keefner, Kurt. "Cruel Sun – Rusted Root | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  8. ^ Central New York (January 2, 2014). "Rusted Root endures with the help of 'Send Me on My Way'". Syracuse.com. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  9. ^ Billboard 7 Jan 1995 Google Books
  10. ^ "Radio & Records" (PDF). Worldradiohistory.com. September 8, 1995. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  11. ^ "Rusted Root Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  12. ^ "British single certifications – Rusted Root – Send Me on My Way". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  13. ^ Dave Lane, Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity, Vol 1 2003–2004 (2008), p. 52 ("Controllers at JPL chose "Send Me on My Way," by Rusted Root, and "Desert Drive," by Tangerine Dream, as Opportunity's wake up music for sol 21").
  14. ^ "Rusted Root has a new album, new sound". greenvilleonline.com. January 16, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
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