Bob Seger, ‘Hey Hey Going Back to Birmingham’ – Song Review

Bob Seger delivers an energetic if brief version of a Little Richard song with his horn-charged new track 'Hey Hey Going Back to Birmingham.'

The track will appear on Seger's upcoming collection 'Ultimate Hits: Rock And Roll Never Forgets,' and good news -- you won't need to fast-forward past this song, like you do frequently when bands decide to add a new single to their best-of albums.

Not that this track stands toe-to-toe with classic original Seger compositions such as 'Hollywood Nights' or 'Roll Another Number,' instead, it's just a simple, well-done reading of a song rock legends like the Beatles and Ten Years After have already covered. He's clearly having a blast ripping through this track, and what Seger fan wouldn't want to hear that?

There's not much in the way of lyrical depth, just a guy making a road trip to find out what's wrong with his baby: "Going back to Birmingham / Way down in Alabam / Hey hey hey hey / heyyyyyy baby / Aw, tell me baby / What's been wrong with you?"

Like we said, it doesn't matter, the enthusiasm is infectious. The song, reportedly recorded years ago and dusted off for this collection, meets its modest goals perfectly. We're way more curious to hear the new material Seger's recording for what may be his final album, but this is a nice way to pass the time till then.

Listen to Bob Seger's 'Hey Hey Going Back to Birmingham'