"Drive" is a song by American rock band Incubus, released on November 14, 2000, as the third single from their third album, Make Yourself (1999). It is the band's biggest hit and breakthrough single, eventually reaching the top of the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart on March 3, 2001, and number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 28, 2001. It also reached number four in Portugal, number 13 in New Zealand, number 34 in Australia, and number 40 in the United Kingdom. In 2001, "Drive" won Modern Rock Single of the Year at the 2001 Billboard Music Awards.
Lyrics According to Incubus lead singer Brandon Boyd, "The lyric is basically about fear, about being driven all your life by it and making decisions from fear. It's about imagining what life would be like if you didn't live it that way."
Reception and legacy Sean Adams of Drowned in Sound gave the song an 8 out of 10 in his 2001 review. He wrote that "maybe it can be called a rock ballad, I mean it does have the odd harmony, drum smack and a guitar or two. What makes this different is the lil’ samples and scratches and the voice of Brandon." Adams also added, "by stereotypical definition Brandon Boyd is a heartthrob, but to thousands (at the moment), rather than millions and that is because for some reason Incubus haven't had the kick from the media they deserve."
In 2023, for the 35th anniversary of the Alternative Airplay chart (which was called Modern Rock Tracks at the time of the song's release), Billboard ranked "Drive" as the 15th-most successful song in the chart's history. That same year, "Drive" and Hoobastank's "The Reason" both experienced surges in streaming numbers after being featured on an episode of Netflix's series Beef. Billboard described the two songs as a "pair of alt-metal ballads." The publication also placed it 82nd on a 2021 list of "The 100 Greatest Car Songs of All Time". In 2024, Consequence placed it 37th on their list of the "50 Kick-Butt Post-Grunge Songs We Can Get Behind", stating that "Incubus' Brandon Boyd has garnered many comparisons to Faith No More's Mike Patton, who bore his own influence on the post-grunge scene — but on 'Drive,' the band combined their smartest impulses to form their signature hit, with a sound only Incubus could boast."
Music video Directed by Phil Harder and based on M.C. Escher's Drawing Hands, the music video features a simple musical session intercut with a rotoscoped animation of Brandon Boyd drawing himself, which was handled by both Boyd and drummer José Pasillas. The non-animated scenes were shot in the McNamara Alumni Center at the University of Minnesota. The video was nominated for Best Group Video at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost to "Pop" by NSYNC. In 2018, the staff of Metal Hammer included the video in the site's list of "the 13 best nu metal videos".
Track listings
Australian maxi-CD single "Drive" – 3:52 "Crowded Elevator" – 4:44 "Stellar" (acoustic) – 3:16 "Pardon Me" (acoustic) – 3:46 "Drive" (acoustic) – 3:52
UK CD single "Drive" "Drive" (acoustic) "Clean" (live) "Drive" (video)
UK 7-inch EP A1. "Drive" (live orchestral version) – 4:05 B1. "Favorite Things" (live) – 3:45 B2. "Pardon Me" (live) – 4:18
European CD1 "Drive" (album version) – 3:52 "Pardon Me" (live) – 4:18
European CD2 "Drive" (album version) – 3:52 "Drive" (orchestral studio version) – 3:55 "Favorite Things" (live) – 3:45 "Pardon Me" (live) – 4:18 "Clean" (live)
Credits and personnel Credits are taken from the European CD2 liner notes.
Studios Recorded at NRG Recording Studios (North Hollywood, Los Angeles) Mastered at A&M Studios (Hollywood, California, US)
Incubus Incubus – production Brandon Boyd – writing Mike Einziger – writing Dirk Lance – writing Chris Kilmore – writing José Pasillas – writing
Additional musicians Dave Holdridge – cello, digital editing
Other personnel Scott Litt – production, mixing Rick Will – mixing Michael "Elvis" Baskette – engineering Matt Griffin – assistant engineering Evan Hollander – assistant engineering Stephen Marcussen – mastering Brandy Flower – design Danny Clinch – photography
Charts
Weekly charts +Chart (2000–2001)PeakpositionCanada CHR (Nielsen BDS)9Iceland (Dagblaðið Vísir Top 20)5Portugal (AFP)4Quebec (ADISQ)20 +Chart (2025)PeakpositionIsrael International Airplay (Media Forest)18
Year-end charts +Chart (2001)PositionAustralia (ARIA)92Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)183Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS)11New Zealand (RIANZ)29US Billboard Hot 10021US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)7US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)20US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)29US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)1US Triple-A (Billboard)12 +Chart (2002)PositionUS Adult Top 40 (Billboard)91
Decade-end charts +Chart (2000–2009)PositionUS Hot Alternative Songs (Billboard)16US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)20
Certifications
Release history +RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)United StatesNovember 14, 2000Alternative radioFebruary 5, 2001Hot adult contemporary radioFebruary 6, 2001Contemporary hit radioAustraliaApril 16, 2001CDUnited KingdomJune 11, 2001Epic
References
External links Website of the animated short film 'I move so I am' (The Netherlands, 1997) of animator Gerrit van Dijk on which the official music video "Drive" was based.