Friday Song: “Drive”

The band Incubus hails from Calabasas, CA, forming in 1991 while the initial members attended Calabasas High School. With a sound that mixed nu-metal with melodic pop, the band’s early shows were frequently at nightclubs like Whisky a Go Go, the Roxy, and the Troubadour on Sunset Strip. They played live and toured heavily in their early days, modeling their grassroots approach on bands like Phish and Primus.

The band achieved modest success early on, but after some personnel changes and sonic reinventions decided to take a more pop-rock turn with their third album Make Yourself. The shift included the involvement of R.E.M./Nivana producer Scott Litt.

“Drive” was their breakthrough hit. Released on November 14, 2000, it was the third single from the album. Because of the grassroots approach, the song took the scenic route to hit the heights, but reached the top of the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also won Modern Rock Single of the Year at the 2001 Billboard Music Awards.

Incubus lead singer Brandon Boyd explained: “The lyric is basically about fear, about being driven all your life by it and making decisions from fear. It’s about imagining what life would be like if you didn't live it that way.”

On September 11, 2001, Incubus were in New York City preparing for their tour when their hotel shook from the impact of the first plane striking the World Trade Center. The tour was scheduled to begin in New Hampshire on September 14, with shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC on September 15-16. Most acts canceled their shows that week, but Incubus proceeded, becoming the first major act to perform in NYC after the attacks. “Drive” carried added weight during these shows as fear had become much more palpable.

The song retains deep meaning for many who grew up in the late-’90s and early 2000s, and has become a classic at life events like births, graduations, and deaths.

The version below features a famous whistling solo from Boyd.

Enjoy!

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