{{Short description|1969 single by Edwin Starr}} {{Infobox song | name = Twenty Five Miles | image = Twenty-Five Miles by Edwin Starr US vinyl side-A label.png | alt = | caption = Side-A label of US vinyl single | type = single | artist = Edwin Starr | album = 25 Miles | B-side = Love Is My Destination | released = January 2, 1969<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.45cat.com/record/g7083|title=45cat - Edwin Starr - Twenty-Five Miles / Love Is My Destination - Gordy - USA - G-7083|website=45cat.com|access-date=25 April 2023}}</ref> | recorded = 1968 | studio = | venue = | genre = {{hlist|R&B|soul}} | length = 3:17 | label = Gordy | writer = *Bert Berns *Jerry Wexler *Edwin Starr *Johnny Bristol *Harvey Fuqua | producer = *Johnny Bristol *Harvey Fuqua | prev_title = Grits Ain't Grocery | prev_year = 1968 | next_title = Oh How Happy | next_year = 1969 }} "'''Twenty-Five Miles'''" is a song written by Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua, and Edwin Starr for Starr's second album, ''25 Miles'' (1969). The song was considered sufficiently similar to "32 Miles out of Waycross" by Hoagy Lands (also recorded as "Mojo Mama" by both Wilson Pickett and Don Varner), written by Bert Berns and Jerry Wexler,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Mc3BAAAQBAJ&q=%2232+Miles+out+of+Waycross%22&pg=PA398 |title=Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of ... |author=Joel Selvin |page=398 |date=2014-04-15 |isbn=9781619023789 |access-date=2016-06-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bertberns.com/disc_1.html |title=Songwriter, Producer and Label Chief |publisher=Bert Berns |access-date=2016-06-21}}</ref> that Berns and Wexler were eventually given co-writing credits.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.torontomike.com/2016/01/of_curried_soul_and_edwin_starr.html |title=Of Curried Soul and Edwin Starr | Toronto Mike's Blog |website=Torontomike.com |date=3 January 2016 |access-date=2016-06-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Browning |first=Laura M. |url=http://www.avclub.com/article/how-far-would-you-travel-love-14-songs-go-distance-207823 |title=How far would you travel for love? 14 songs that go the distance · Inventory · The A.V. Club |website=Avclub.com |date=22 September 2014 |access-date=2016-06-21}}</ref> Essentially the same "counting down the miles" concept had appeared earlier in the lyrics of Mark W. Mcintyre and William Olofson's song "Tucumcari", recorded by Jimmie F. Rodgers in 1959.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genius.com/Jimmie-f-rodgers-tucumcari-lyrics|title=Jimmie Rodgers - 'Tucumcari'|publisher=Genius Lyrics|access-date=2020-10-13}}</ref>
It was Starr's first success following his move from Ric-Tic Records to Motown (as Motown bought out Ric-Tic and all its artists). The song was a huge hit in the US, making the top ten on both the Pop chart (#6) and R&B chart (#6), #8 in Canada,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.5963.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Singles - April 28, 1969}}</ref> and peaked at #36 on the UK Singles Chart. "Twenty-Five Miles" proved to be Starr's second-biggest US hit, ranking below his signature song (and #1 smash) "War". His pair of 1979 disco singles would later outdo the song's performance on the UK charts, as "Contact" and "H.A.P.P.Y. Radio" were both UK top ten hits.
Starr's version was popular on the UK's Northern soul scene.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.allmusic.com/style/northern-soul-ma0000004427/songs | title=Northern soul | publisher=AllMusic | access-date=11 January 2015}}</ref>
In 1989, Starr was seen on stage in an appearance of the Cookie Crew's mimed performance on ''Top of the Pops'', the BBC chart show in the UK, with him miming repeatedly to the lyric "I got to keep on" which was sampled from "Twenty-Five Miles" in the No. 17 hit "Got to Keep On" of April that year.
==In popular culture== A shortened remix of this version was used as the theme song for NFL Network's coverage of the 2011 NFL scouting combine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-combine/09000d5d81e6c089/2011-Combine-Open |title=2011 Combine Open - NFL Videos |website=Nfl.com |access-date=2016-06-21}}</ref> The song was used by Visa in their 2016 global Olympic campaign film.<ref>{{cite web|title=Visa Launches Global Olympic Games Campaign: Athletes "Carpool" Their Way to Rio|url=http://investor.visa.com/news/news-details/2016/Visa-Launches-Global-Olympic-Games-Campaign-Athletes-Carpool-Their-Way-to-Rio/default.aspx|website=investor.visa.com}}</ref>
The song also shares strong similarities to the theme song for ''As it Happens'', "Curried Soul" by Moe Koffman, which dates from 1968.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.torontomike.com/2016/01/of_curried_soul_and_edwin_starr.html |title=Of Curried Soul and Edwin Starr | Toronto Mike's Blog |website=Torontomike.com |date=3 January 2016 |access-date=2016-10-02}}</ref>
Edwin Starr's version appeared in the 1987 film ''Adventures in Babysitting''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092513/soundtrack/|title=Adventures in Babysitting (1987) - Soundtracks|website=IMDb.com|access-date=25 April 2023}}</ref> and in the 2016 Visa Commercial "Carpool - Road to Rio with Team USA Athletes".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvcommercialspots.com/insurance-and-services/visa-tv-commercial-carpool-to-rio-with-team-usa-athletes-featuring-missy-franklin-kerri-walsh-jennings-maria-espinoza-and-valerie-adams-visa-everywhere-you-want-to-be-missyfranklin-kerriwal/ |title=Visa TV Commercial – Carpool Road To Rio With Team USA Athletes – Featuring Missy Franklin, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Maria Espinoza and Valerie Adams – Visa, Everywhere You Want To Be – Twenty Five Miles, Edwin Starr |website=Tvcommercialspots.com |date=2016-07-04 |access-date=2016-10-02}}</ref>
The song was featured playing after the opening scene of ''Bad Times at the El Royale'', when it transitions to 1969.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.firstshowing.net/2018/review-goddards-bad-times-at-the-el-royale-is-nothin-but-a-good-time/ |title=Review: Goddard's 'Bad Times at the El Royale' is Nothin' But a Good Time |last=Frazier |first=Adam |date=2018-10-11 |website=FirstShowing |publisher=First Showing LLC |access-date=2018-10-14 |quote=... Edwin Starr's "Twenty-Five Miles" plays as Richard Nixon is inaugurated as the 37th president of the United States. ...}}</ref>
==Michael Jackson version== {{Infobox song | name = Twenty-Five Miles | cover = | alt = | type = single | artist = Michael Jackson | album = The Original Soul of Michael Jackson | B-side = Up on the Housetop | released = October 1987 | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = | length = | label = Motown | writer = *Bert Berns *Jerry Wexler *Edwin Starr *Johnny Bristol *Harvey Fuqua | producer = Hal Davis | prev_title = Bad | prev_year = 1987 | next_title = The Way You Make Me Feel | next_year = 1987 }} The Jackson 5 recorded a cover version of "Twenty-Five Miles" in 1969, but it was not heard until its inclusion on the Motown compilation album, ''The Original Soul of Michael Jackson'', in 1987, with Michael Jackson being given sole performer credit for the track.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-original-soul-of-michael-jackson-mw0000194030 |title=The Original Soul of Michael Jackson - Michael Jackson | Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=2016-06-21}}</ref> It was not the original recording, however, as it included drum machine overdubs; the original featured a hard-driving drum track by Uriel Jones, one of the Funk Brothers.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
Jackson's version of "Twenty-Five Miles" was released as a single in the US to promote ''The Original Soul of Michael Jackson''. The single was backed by the Christmas song "Up on the Housetop".<ref>{{cite book |last=Halstead |first=Craig |author2=Chris Cadman |title=Michael Jackson: The Solo Years |year=2003 |publisher=Authors OnLine |isbn=0-7552-0091-8 }}</ref> The original recording of the song was included on the 2009 set, ''Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/hello-world-the-motown-solo-collection-mw0000823642 |title=Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection - Michael Jackson | Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=AllMusic |date=July 21, 2009 |access-date=June 21, 2016}}</ref>
==Other versions== In 1969, Clarence Reid released a cover of "Twenty Five Miles" on his 1969 ATCO release ''Dancin' With Nobody But You Babe''.
In 1969, Patrick Samson realized a cover in Italian language titled "Basta" (That's enough) for his album ''Crimson and clover (Soli si muore)'' (Carosello Records, PLP 325) published in Italy and Canada.
In 1971, Melba Moore featured "Twenty Five Miles" in a medley with the song "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" on her album ''Look What You're Doing to the Man''.
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Edwin Starr}} {{Michael Jackson songs}}
Category:1968 songs Category:1969 singles Category:1987 singles Category:Edwin Starr songs Category:Michael Jackson songs Category:Songs written by Johnny Bristol Category:Songs written by Harvey Fuqua Category:Songs written by Bert Berns Category:Songs written by Jerry Wexler Category:Northern soul songs Category:Gordy Records singles