‘Holiday Road’ Is Top 10 on a Billboard Chart for the First Time, Thanks to Kesha Cover

“When I was a boy, just about every summer we’d take a vacation. And, you know, in 18 years, we never had fun.”

—

In 1983’s National Lampoon’s Vacation, Clark W. Griswold (Chevy Chase) ruminates about his childhood trips, as he takes his own family cross-country in their new metallic-pea Wagon Queen Family Truckster. (The blue Sports Wagon was much too small.)

Despite the Griswolds’ series of mishaps, the hit film introduced, upon its opening frames, a buoyant theme song: “Holiday Road,” written and performed by Lindsey Buckingham. The single spent five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 82 in August 1983. It became the then-Fleetwood Mac member’s second of three career solo entries, in between “Trouble” (No. 9 peak, 1982) and “Go Insane” (No. 23, 1984).

Like the Griswolds finally witnessing Walley World, and Marty Moose (the moosiest moose we know), “Holiday Road” this week reaches the top 10 of a Billboard chart for the first time at last, as Kesha’s cover ascends 10 spots to No. 6 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs survey dated Dec. 14. It debuted on the list three weeks earlier, marking the first charted version of the song since Buckingham’s.

The update was released Oct. 15 as an exclusive on Spotify, along with four other holiday-themed songs.

To date, Buckingham’s original “Holiday Road” has drawn 40.9 million official U.S. streams and 25.8 million in radio airplay audience and sold 133,000 downloads.

National Lampoon’s Vacation grossed a reported $60 million-plus in U.S. theaters. The film, directed by Harold Ramis, with its screenplay by John Hughes, is bookended by Buckingham’s music, closing with his likewise sprightly “Dancin’ Across the USA.” Along with Chase, its cast includes Beverly D’Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy and, in her first film role, Christie Brinkley.

Notably, Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” – his ode to Brinkley, his then-future wife – debuted on the Hot 100 three weeks after Buckingham’s version departed, on its way to a No. 3 peak.