Drop the Pilot

"Drop the Pilot"
Single by Joan Armatrading
from the album The Key
B-side	"Business Is Business"
Released	22 January 1983
Recorded	1982–1983
Genre	Pop rock
Length	3:41
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Joan Armatrading
Producer(s)	Val Garay
Joan Armatrading singles chronology
"No Love" (1982) "Drop the Pilot" (1983) "Temptation" (1985)

"Drop the Pilot" is a song written and originally performed by Joan Armatrading. It was the first single to be released from Armatrading's 1983 album The Key, and was her third and (to date) final UK top 40 hit. It reached number 11 in the UK Singles Chart, and spent a total of ten weeks in the Top 40.[1]

The song was a major hit in Australia and New Zealand, peaking at number 6 on both charts. The single was Armatrading's only appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, where it spent six weeks, peaking at number 78 on 25 June 1983.[2]

B-side

The original song "Business is Business" is featured as its B-side, a track that remains unreleased on any album.[3]

Track listing

• 7" Single[4]

1. "Drop the Pilot" – 3:39
2. "Business Is Business" – 3:08

Chart

Weekly charts Chart (1983) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[5] 6 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 35 Ireland (IRMA)[7] 12 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] 6 South Africa (Springbok)[9] 1 UK Singles (OCC)[1] 11 US Billboard Hot 100[2] 78 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[10] 33

Year-end charts Chart (1983) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)[11][12] 27 South Africa (Springbok)[13] 8

Mandy Moore version

"Drop the Pilot"
Single by Mandy Moore
from the album Coverage
Released	October 28, 2003
Length	3:43
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Joan Armatrading
Producer(s)	John Fields
Mandy Moore singles chronology
"Have a Little Faith in Me" (2003) "Drop the Pilot" (2003) "Senses Working Overtime" (2004)
Audio
"Drop The Pilot" on YouTube

"Drop the Pilot" is a song recorded by American singer Mandy Moore, for her third studio album Coverage (2003).[14] Moore's version was released as the second single from her third album on October 28, 2003 through Epic Records. The song was written by Joan Armatrading and produced by John Fields.

Music video

A video was produced as a demo for Kodak's Vision2 500T series motion picture film. It is included on the demo DVD for the Vision2 line of stocks and used as a product example projected from a print at Kodak product screenings. The video was directed by Nick DiBella.[15]

Track listing

• Digital download

1. "Drop the Pilot" – 3:39

References

1. "Joan Armatrading: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
2. "Joan Armatrading Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
3. "Joan Armatrading - Drop The Pilot". Discogs. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
4. http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Joan+Armatrading&titel=Drop+The+Pilot&cat=s^[permanent dead link‍]
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 19. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
6. "Joan Armatrading – Drop the Pilot" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
7. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Drop the Pilot". Irish Singles Chart.
8. "Joan Armatrading – Drop the Pilot". Top 40 Singles.
9. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 29 June 2020.
10. "Joan Armatrading Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard.
11. "Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
12. "AMR Top Singles of 1983". www.top100singles.net. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
13. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1983". www.rock.co.za. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
14. "Mandy Moore". MTV. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
15. "New 35mm Film 'Pops'!" (PDF). On Location. 15 (1). Rochester/Finger Lakes Films & Video Office Inc. Spring 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 4 June 2011.

External links

• "Drop the Pilot" lyrics from Joan Armatrading's official website