Christmas came earlier for Joe Diffie in 1994. It was on this date 26-years ago that his single “Pickup Man” landed at number one on the charts.
What’s more, the track from his Third Rock From the Sun album, stayed there for four consecutive weeks.
“Pickup Man” is written by Howard Perdew and Kerry Kurt Phillps. The song is about a man’s love for his four-by-four.
“You can set my truck on fire and roll it down a hill / And I still wouldn’t trade it for a Coupe de Ville / I got an eight-foot bed that never has to be made / You know if it weren’t for trucks we wouldn’t have tailgates / I met all my wives in traffic jams / There’s just something women like about a pickup man.”
Also, he recounts his days, starting at three-years-old hauling Barbies in his toy truck, and then at 16 when he finally buys this beloved vehicle.
“I hauled a Barbie Doll bed for the girl next door,” and “You know a cargo light gives off a romantic glow” are just a few more cleverly crafted lyrics from the song.
The tune is the second song from Third Rock From the Sun to reach No. 1, and it was the album’s title track that landed in the top spot first.
Diffie had quite an illustrious career that included five No. 1 hits such as “John Deere Green,” and “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die).”
However, “Pickup Man” remains his most successful to date, The Boot says. Furthermore, it was Diffie’s only hit to stay at No. 1 for as long as it did.
Joe Diffie Dies at 61
Joe Diffie passed away in March 2020 from COVID-19 complications. He was 61-years-old.
The “Pick Up Man” was more than just a mullet. He was a member of the Grand Ole Opry for more than 25 years, an award-winning singer, which included a Grammy and a CMA Award.
