Info about song
"Driver 8" was the second single from R.E.M.'s third album, Fables of the Reconstruction. While credited to Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe, it was primarily written by Bill Berry. Released in September 1985, the song failed to chart in the United States. It was not released in Europe. The song refers to the Southern Crescent, a passenger train operated by the Southern Railroad until 1979, and continues today (with fewer stops) as the Amtrak Crescent. The music video shows Chessie System trains running around Huntington, West Virginia. NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. borrowed the title of this song for his autobiography. (Until 2008, Earnhardt drove a #8 car.) ESPN anchor John Buccigross frequently references the song on SportsCenter, usually referring to an athlete that wears the number 8 (such as Alex Ovechkin). Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.