Writer: Bob Seger
Producer: Bill Szymczyk
Recorded: 1979 at Bayshore Studios, Coconut Grove, Florida
| Players: | Bob Seger–vocal, acoustic guitar Chris Campbell–bass David Teegarden–drums Drew Abbott–electric guitar Paul Harris–piano, organ Glenn Frey–backing vocals |
| Album: | Against The Wind (Capitol, 1980) |
One of Bob Seger's most popular songs, “Against The Wind'' peaked at Number Five on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1980.
The Against The Wind album held the Number One spot on the Billboard album chart for six weeks in 1980 and has sold more than four million copies.
Seger says, “We wanted to really have a Number One album. That's what we went for on that album. We dropped away a little bit from the rockiness and went straight for the singles charts on all 10 cuts, virtually.”
The Eagles' Glenn Frey sings backup vocals on the song, which he also did for Seger's 1969 hit “Ramblin' Gamblin' Man.” Seger co-wrote the Eagles hit “Heartache Tonight.”
In his Greatest Hits liner notes, Seger writes that on “Against The Wind,” Frey “had an idea that our guitarist Drew Abbott should play along with the piano solo. He and I then went out and did the background vocals together. The line 'Wish I didn't know now what I didn't know then' bothered me for the longest time, but everyone I knew loved it, so I left it in. It has since appeared in several hits by other artists, so I guess it's okay.”
