| "Jesus, Take the Wheel" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byCarrie Underwood | ||||
| from the albumSome Hearts | ||||
| Released | October 18, 2005 (2005-10-18) | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:46 | |||
| Label | Arista Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Mark Bright | |||
| Carrie Underwood singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Jesus, Take the Wheel" onYouTube | ||||
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" is a song written byBrett James,Hillary Lindsey, andGordie Sampson, and recorded by Americancountry music artistCarrie Underwood. It was released on October 18, 2005, as the first single from Underwood's debut albumSome Hearts (2005). The ballad tells of a woman seeking help fromJesus in an emergency and surrendering her control to a higher power.
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" became the first of Underwood's record-setting 15 number-one singles on theBillboardHot Country Songs[A] chart, spending six weeks at the number one position. The song enjoyedcrossover success, peaking at number four on theBillboardHot Christian Songs chart and charting on theBillboardAdult Contemporary chart. It also became a top twenty hit on theBillboard Hot 100 chart. "Jesus, Take the Wheel" has sold over 2.743 million copies in the United States as of February 2016 and has been certified two-times Platinum by theRIAA.
Underwood has performed "Jesus, Take the Wheel" during multiple awards show appearances and has included the song on the set list for all of her headlining concert tours. "Jesus, Take the Wheel" won theGrammy Awards forBest Female Country Vocal Performance andBest Country Song and it won Single of the Year at the2005 Academy of Country Music Awards, amongst other nominations at these and other award ceremonies. The song ranked number four onCMT's "40 Greatest Songs of the Decade".
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" is aChristiancountry song that lasts for three minutes and forty-six seconds. The song is composed in thekey ofA major and is set in thetime signature of 4/4common time with a moderately slowtempo of 76beats per minute.[5] Underwood's vocal range spans over two octaves from F♯3 to E5.[5]
The song was written at co-writerHillary Lindsey's house and is centered around the premise of what happens "whenJesus takes the wheel," a phraseGordie Sampson brought to the writing session as a possible title.[6] Lyrically, the song tells the story of a woman who survives acar crash, seemingly as part of a miracle of divine intervention.[6] Personal stories from the writers' pasts influenced details of the song's lyrics.[6] Upon the song's release, some critics questioned the marketability of launching Underwood's career with an overtly faith-based song.[7][8]
In a review ofSome Hearts,Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllMusic praised Underwood's delivery of the song, writing that she "sounds equally convincing on such sentimental fare as 'Jesus, Take the Wheel' as on the soaring pop 'Some Hearts'".[9] In 2013, Matt Bjorke ofRoughStock ranked "Jesus, Take the Wheel" as the tenth-best song of Underwood's career at that point, writing that that song "show[ed] the strength of her voice through complex vocal runs and tender verse readings."[10] On a similar ranking in 2017, Chuck Dauphin ofBillboard placed the song as Underwood's fourth-best song to date.[11]Rolling Stone ranked the song as Underwood's eighth-best, based on a reader-voted poll, in 2015 and wrote that "as Underwood's vocals soared into the stratosphere during the track's final chorus, so did her career."[12]
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" debuted at number 39 on theBillboardHot Country Songs chart and eventually hit number one in January 2006, becoming the first of Underwood's record-setting 15 number-ones.[13] The song spent six weeks atop the chart, the longest-running number one debut single sinceNielsen Broadcast Data Systems was initiated in 1990 (this record would later be broken in 2024 whenShaboozey'sA Bar Song (Tipsy) reached seven weeks at number one onCountry Airplay).[14] Jesus, Take the Wheel additionally peaked at number four on theHot Christian Songs chart and at number 23 on theAdult Contemporary chart. Thiscrossover airplay helped the song reach the upper tier of the all-genreBillboard Hot 100 chart, where it reached a peak position of 20. "Jesus, Take the Wheel" also hit number one of the Canadian country airplay chart compiled byRadio & Records.[15]
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" has been certified two-times Platinum in the United States as of August 2015.[16] TheMastertone of the song was also certified Platinum in July 2008, making Underwood the first country artist to have two songs reach this milestone (after "Before He Cheats").[17][18] As of February 2016, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" has sold 2,473,000 copies in the United States.[19] In 2007, "Jesus, Take the Wheel" was certified Gold byMusic Canada.[20]
Underwood gave her debut performance of the song at the 2005Country Music Association Awards.[21] On May 23, 2006, she again sang it at the 41st annualAcademy of Country Music Awards, where she won the Single of the Year Award for the song.Billboard described the latter performance as "captivating".[22]
In April 2006, she sang it on theCMT Awards, where "Jesus, Take the Wheel" won two major awards: Breakthrough Video of the Year and Female Video of the Year.
Underwood performed the song during her debut tour:Carrie Underwood: Live in Concert, and has subsequently performed the track in all of her tours as well as during her sets at theCMA Music Festival,Stagecoach,C2C: Country to Country andGlastonbury festivals.
Themusic video was Underwood's first and was directed byRoman White. It features her singing in various backgrounds such as a living room, through shelves, standing by a wall, and sitting in a chair. A woman, a young couple, and an older couple are all shown through the video trying to ease a baby, fighting over bills and making up, and trying to feed his wife respectively.
In the music video, which was premiered onCMT on November 24, 2005.
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" was nominated for Music Video of the Year at the 2006Country Music Association Awards and was ranked No. 64 on CMT's 100 Greatest Videos.[23]
| Chart (2005–2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Top 30 (Radio & Records)[15] | 1 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[24] | 20 |
| USAdult Contemporary (Billboard)[25] | 23 |
| USHot Christian Songs (Billboard)[26] | 4 |
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[27] | 1 |
| Chart (2006) | Position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard Hot 100[28] | 78 |
| US Christian Songs (Billboard)[29] | 11 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard)[30] | 5 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[20] | Gold | 5,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[16] | 2× Platinum | 2,473,000[19] |
| United States (RIAA)[17] Mastertone | Platinum | 1,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Academy of Country Music | Single of the Year | Won |
| 2006 | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Country Music Association | Music Video of the Year | Nominated |
| 2006 | Single of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2006 | Canadian Country Music Awards | SOCAN Song of the Year | Won |
| 2006 | CMT Music Awards | Female Video of the Year | Won |
| 2006 | Breakthrough Video of the Year | Won | |
| 2006 | Gospel Music Association | Country Song of the Year | Won |
| 2007 | Grammy Awards | Best Female Country Vocal Performance | Won |
| 2007 | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Best Country Song | Won |
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | October 18, 2005 | Digital download | Arista Nashville | [32] |
| October 24, 2005 | Country radio | [33] |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)| Some Hearts | |
|---|---|
| Carnival Ride | |
| Play On | |
| Blown Away | |
| Greatest Hits: Decade #1 | |
| Storyteller | |
| Cry Pretty | |
| My Gift | |
| Denim & Rhinestones | |
| Collaborative songs | |
| Other songs | |
