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TL;DR:

  • The producer behind Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” didn’t think the band could make it a hit.
  • The Monkees’ music supervisor had a strong reaction to the song when he heard it in the studio.
  • “Carry On Wayward Son” had a big impact.

Some classic rock bands initially had measured expectations for themselves. For example, Kansas thought “Carry On Wayward Son” could be a hit if any other act recorded it. Eventually, the song was performed by several different groups.

Phil Ehart said the reaction to Kansas’ ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ was strange

During a 2023 interview with Billboard, Kansas’ Phil Ehart was asked if he knew “Carry On Wayward Son” would be a hit. “Often I go back to [producer] Jeff Glixman’s comment while we were sitting in the control room listening … He looked over and said, ‘You know, if this wasn’t us, I would think this is probably going to be a hit single,’ which was a brilliant thing to say — if it wasn’t Kansas, it would probably be a hit,” he said.

“But it was Kansas, and it was a hit, which made it even stranger,” Ehart added. “And not just a hit in Topeka, but across the world.” For context, the band formed in Topeka. At first, they only hoped to achieve radio play in the Topeka area.

Kansas showed the song to The Monkees’ former music supervisor

Kansas’ Richard Williams initially had positive feelings about “Carry On Wayward Son.” “We felt really good about it — I mean, really good about it,” he said. At the time, Kansas was working with Don Kirshner, former music supervisor for The Monkees and the co-creator of The Archies. Williams said Kirshner had a strong reaction to “Carry On Wayward Son.”

“Don Kirshner kept calling, and we were holding up the phone to the speakers, and he was listening, and everybody in New York was very excited,” Williams recalled. “But it wasn’t until we really started digging into the mixes that it hit us: ‘Wow. This is something different. This is going to be a game-changer.'”

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Why Kansas’ ‘Dust in the Wind’ Was Controversial

How ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ performed on the charts and impacted pop culture

“Carry On Wayward Son” became one of the group’s biggest hits. It reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining on the chart for 20 weeks. It appeared on Kansas’ album Leftoverture. That album hit No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 42 weeks. It charted higher and longer than any of the band’s other albums besides Point of Know Return.

“Carry On Wayward Son” became a standard. It’s been covered by acts such as Panic! at the Disco, Anthrax, Gwar, and Jonathan Young. Anthrax recorded the song under the name “Carry On a Wayward Son.” The tune has also appeared in popular shows like South Park and Supernatural. Alongside “Dust in the Wind,” “Carry On Wayward Son” is Kansas’ most popular track.

“Carry On Wayward Son” is a classic track, even if Kansas didn’t think they could make it a hit.

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