Along For the Ride
Have you ever been in a situation where you suddenly, or finally, realize that someone else is making your life decisions, controlling your life’s direction based on his or her dream?
That’s the singer’s position and she’s tired of it, tired of the passenger side. She’s taking her control back and choosing for herself which road she will travel. “Move it on over,” she says, “let me behind the wheel… I’m tired of going along for the ride.”
This Southern Rock song, Along For the Ride, was written by Jo Ann Vickers (aka Jo Wilburn.) from a life experience that represents a turning point for her. It was recorded at Fast Horse Studio in Austin TX. Dan Wilburn and David Marshall engineered, and Dan produced and played bass. Mark Tokach played all the guitar leads. David Marshall played drums, and rhythm guitar, and sang background. Jo Wilburn sang the lead vocal and the background on the bridge and played the initial rhythm guitar.
Author’s Notes
Along for the Ride, is about taking control of your life back when you’ve been letting someone else determine your choices at every turn in the road. It’s about finally deciding you will make your choices, determine your path, and travel toward your own dreams.
Along for the Ride was Dan & I’s first release when we started distributing our music this year, 2024, and before we decided to release under the artist’s name JoDan Music. It was released under the artist’s name Jo Wilburn and can be found on streaming platforms under that name.
Behind the Song:
Song Title: Along For the Ride
Written By: Jo Ann Vickers (also known as Jo Wilburn)
Date written: November 5, 2021
Place written: Austin TX
The Story Behind the Song:
As with many of my songs, when I wrote this one I was looking back to a time in the past when I was in a situation where I felt I had little control over my life.
I was working at an extremely stressful job that left me no time for myself and my own loves. My then husband and I were both working toward a dream, but it was his dream. I had my own, but they were always set aside with the promise that someday it would be my turn. Well, as Creedence says, “Someday Never Comes.” Along for the Ride is me realizing that someone else was making my life decisions, controlling my life’s direction based on his dream, and that it would never change, unless I changed it.
Using the road as an analogy, I, in the song, state that I’m tired of having no control, I’m tired of the passenger side. I’m taking my control back and choosing for myself which road I will travel. “Move it on over,” I say, “let me behind the wheel… I’m tired of going along for the ride.”
I ask for reason and consideration from my partner with the attitude that he’s invited to come along if he wants, but I’m no longer going along for the ride.
This is the first song that my now-and-forever husband and partner and I cut as a team. When we began distributing our music this year, 2024 I released it under the artist name Jo Wilburn, but it would have been more accurate to call it a JoDan Music Production. All our songs that have followed were released under the artist name JoDan Music.
As well as on the Jo Wilburn page, here’s a few other links where you can hear/save the song, and follow the artist.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1O5GSf5O8zwkmmWq7lnU27?si=cf196003ce98488b
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/album/along-for-the-ride-single/1733378758
Pandora: https://pandora.app.link/lVK9yQZhvOb
YouTube Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8fO0MFoRfU