Against the Wind ( Bob Seger song ) - wikipedia Against the Wind ( Bob Seger song ) `` Against the Wind '' Single by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band from the album Against the Wind B - side `` No Man 's Land '' Released April 1980 Format 7 '' vinyl Length 5 : 34 ( album version ) 3 : 45 ( single version ) Label Capitol Songwriter ( s ) Bob Seger Producer ( s ) Bill Szymczyk Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band singles chronology `` Fire Lake '' ( 1980 ) `` Against the Wind '' ( 1980 ) `` You 'll Accomp'ny Me '' ( 1980 ) Alternative cover German cover `` Against the Wind '' is a song by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band from the 1980 album Against the Wind. Released as the second single from the album, it peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Glenn Frey and Don Henley of the Eagles sang background vocals on this song. Contents 1 Background and writing 2 Chart performance 2.1 Weekly charts 2.2 Year - end charts 3 Cover versions 4 In popular culture 5 References 6 External links Background and writing During an interview on WWFX, `` 100 FM The Pike '', Bob Seger said that `` Against the Wind '' came about from his days as a high - school cross country runner. The line `` Let the cowboys ride ! '' towards the song 's end is a reference to the closing lyrics of the song `` Santa Fe / Beautiful Obsession '' by Van Morrison. Seger later said that the line `` Wish I did n't know now what I did n't know then '' bothered him for a while, but that everyone he knew loved it, so he left it in. He also said that it has since appeared in several other hits by other artists, so that proved it was an acceptable lyric. Music critic Maury Dean described the theme as being about aging and dealing with `` all the burdens we 'll ever have to face. '' Rolling Stone Magazine critic Dave Marsh stated in his review of the Against the Wind album that none of the ballads ( including the title track ) contained any memorable lines, but he later amended that to acknowledge that the lines `` Well, those drifter 's days are past me now / I 've so much more to think about / Deadlines and commitments / What to leave in / What to leave out '' are not only memorable but also haunting in the way Seger `` haltingly expresses his indecisiveness. '' Chart performance Weekly charts Chart ( 1980 ) Peak position Australian Kent Music Report 92 Belgian VRT Top 30 30 Canadian RPM Top 100 6 US Billboard Hot 100 5 US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 8 Year - end charts Chart ( 1980 ) Rank Canada RPM Top 100 41 US Billboard Hot 100 51 Cover versions In 1999, Brooks & Dunn covered this song on the television soundtrack to King of the Hill. This version peaked at number 55 on the Hot Country Songs charts based on unsolicited airplay. The song was also covered by The Highwaymen on their debut album. In 1978, two years before the US release, the song was covered ( translated to Spanish under the title `` Contra el viento '' ) by Argentine rock band Plus on their second album Melancolica Muchacha. The Hold Steady released a their version of the song on their 2007 Stuck Between Stations EP. Garth Brooks for the 2013 Classic Rock album in the Blame It All on My Roots : Five Decades of Influences compilation. In popular culture The song was played in the movie Forrest Gump, where Forrest was running across the country. References Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2002 ). Top Pop Songs : 1961 - 2001. Record Research. p. 218. Jump up ^ Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Greatest Hits, CD sleeve. Jump up ^ Dean, Maury ( 2003 ). Rock ' n ' Roll Gold Rush. Algora Publishing. p. 359. ISBN 087586208X. Jump up ^ Marsh, Dave ( 1985 ). Fortunate Son. Random House. pp. 129 -- 132. ISBN 0394721195. Jump up ^ Kent, David ( 1993 ). Australian Chart Book 1970 -- 1992. Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0 - 646 - 11917 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Singles ( 1980 ) ''. RPM. Archived from the original on 2016 - 04 - 25. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 21. Jump up ^ `` Melancólica muchacha ''. rock.com.ar. Jump up ^ `` Forrest Gump - Run Scene ''. YouTube. August 29, 2012. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band Bob Seger Craig Frost Chris Campbell Alto Reed Drew Abbott Charlie Allen Martin Dave Teegarden Rick Manasa Robyn Robbins Dawayne Bailey The System albums Ramblin ' Gamblin ' Man Noah Mongrel Seger solo albums Brand New Morning Smokin ' O.P. 's Back in ' 72 Seven Beautiful Loser Face the Promise Ride Out I Knew You When The Silver Bullet Band albums Night Moves Stranger in Town Against the Wind The Distance Like a Rock The Fire Inside It 's a Mystery Live albums Live Bullet Nine Tonight Compilation albums The Bob Seger Collection Greatest Hits Greatest Hits 2 Early Seger Vol. 1 Ultimate Hits : Rock and Roll Never Forgets Singles `` East Side Story '' `` Heavy Music '' `` 2 + 2 = ? '' `` Ramblin ' Gamblin ' Man '' `` Lucifer '' `` Lookin ' Back '' `` If I Were a Carpenter '' `` Who Do You Love '' `` Midnight Rider '' `` Turn the Page '' `` Get Out of Denver '' `` Beautiful Loser '' `` Katmandu '' `` Nutbush City Limits '' `` Night Moves '' `` Mainstreet '' `` Rock and Roll Never Forgets '' `` Hollywood Nights '' `` We 've Got Tonite '' `` Still the Same '' `` Old Time Rock and Roll '' `` Fire Lake '' `` Against the Wind '' `` You 'll Accomp'ny Me '' `` Tryin ' to Live My Life Without You '' `` Hollywood Nights '' `` We 've Got Tonite '' `` Shame on the Moon '' `` Even Now '' `` Roll Me Away '' `` American Storm '' `` Like a Rock '' `` Shakedown '' `` C'est La Vie '' `` Landing in London '' `` Downtown Train '' `` Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey ( Going Back to Birmingham ) '' Related articles Discography Gibson / Miller Band Book Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Against_the_Wind_(Bob_Seger_song)&oldid=865237686 '' Categories : 1980 singles 1999 singles Songs about old age Bob Seger songs Brooks & Dunn songs Songs written by Bob Seger Song recordings produced by Bill Szymczyk 1980 songs Capitol Records singles Hidden categories : Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 22 October 2018, at 17 : 01 ( UTC ). 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Question: what does the song running against the wind mean
Answer: about aging and dealing with "all the burdens we'll ever have to face."