"Jesus, Take the Wheel" | ||||||||||||||||
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Single by Carrie Underwood | ||||||||||||||||
from the album Some Hearts | ||||||||||||||||
Released | October 3, 2005 (U.S.) | |||||||||||||||
Format | Digital download | |||||||||||||||
Genre | Country, Christian | |||||||||||||||
Length | 3:46 | |||||||||||||||
Label | Arista | |||||||||||||||
Writer(s) | Hillary Lindsey, Gordie Sampson, Brett James | |||||||||||||||
Producer(s) | Mark Bright | |||||||||||||||
Carrie Underwood singles chronology | ||||||||||||||||
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"Jesus, Take the Wheel" is a song written by Brett James, Hillary Lindsey, and Gordie Sampson, and recorded by American country music artist Carrie Underwood. It was released in October 2005 as the first single from Underwood's debut album Some Hearts. The ballad tells of a woman seeking help from Jesus in an emergency, ultimately letting Jesus take control of her life.
The country-Christian song became a crossover hit, spending six consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot Christian Songs chart and charting high on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. It also became a top twenty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
"Jesus, Take the Wheel" won Grammys for Best Female Country Vocal Performance and Best Country Song, and it won Single of the Year at the 2005 Academy of Country Music Awards. The song ranked number four on CMT's 40 Greatest Songs of the Decade.
The song tells the story of a young mother who lives a hectic life. On a late-night Christmas Eve drive on a snow-covered road on her way to Cincinnati, Ohio, the woman begins sorting out her emotions and bemoans not having enough time to do the things that really matter. Then, her car hits a patch of black ice, causing the woman to lose control of her car. She panics, takes her hands off the steering wheel and cries out to Jesus; shortly thereafter, the car stops spinning and safely stops on the shoulder. After taking stock of the situation (and seeing that her baby has remained fast asleep in the rear seat), the woman decides to let "Jesus take the wheel" of her life.