Drive (Incubus song)

"Drive" is a song by American rock band Incubus, released on November 14, 2000, as the third single from their third album, Make Yourself (1999). It is the band's biggest hit and breakthrough single, eventually reaching the top of the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart on March 3, 2001, and number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 28. It also reached number four in Portugal, number 13 in New Zealand, number 34 in Australia, and number 40 in the United Kingdom. In 2001, "Drive" won a Billboard Award for Modern Rock Single of the Year. Director Bill Draheim documented the making of "Drive" in Save Me from My Half-Life Drive.

Content
According to lead singer Brandon Boyd, "The lyric is basically about fear, about being driven all your life by it and making decisions from fear. It's about imagining what life would be like if you didn't live it that way."

Reception and legacy
Sean Adams of Drowned in Sound gave the song an 8 out of 10 in his 2001 review. He wrote that "maybe it can be called a rock ballad, I mean it does have the odd harmony, drum smack and a guitar or two. What makes this different is the lil’ samples and scratches and the voice of Brandon." Adams also added, "by stereotypical definition Brandon Boyd is a heartthrob, but to thousands (at the moment), rather than millions and that is because for some reason Incubus haven't had the kick from the media they deserve."

In 2023, for the 35th anniversary of the Alternative Airplay chart (which was called Modern Rock Tracks at the time of the song's release), Billboard ranked "Drive" as the 15th-most successful song in the chart's history. That same year, "Drive" and Hoobastank's "The Reason" both experienced surges in streaming numbers after being featured on an episode of Netflix's series Beef. Billboard described the two songs as a "pair of alt-metal ballads." In 2024, Consequence of Sound placed it 37th on their list of the "50 best post-grunge songs", stating that "Incubus' Brandon Boyd has garnered many comparisons to Faith No More's Mike Patton, who bore his own influence on the post-grunge scene — but on 'Drive,' the band combined their smartest impulses to form their signature hit, with a sound only Incubus could boast."

Music video
Directed by Phil Harder and based on M.C. Escher's Drawing Hands, the music video features a simple musical session intercut with a rotoscoped animation of Brandon Boyd drawing himself, which was handled by both Boyd and drummer José Pasillas. The non-animated scenes were shot in the McNamara Alumni Center on the University of Minnesota. The video was nominated for Best Group Video at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards but lost to 'N Sync.

Track listings
US CD single
 * 1) "Drive" (album version) – 3:52
 * 2) "Drive" (orchestral studio version) – 3:55

Australian maxi-CD single
 * 1) "Drive" – 3:52
 * 2) "Crowded Elevator" – 4:44
 * 3) "Stellar" (acoustic) – 3:16
 * 4) "Pardon Me" (acoustic) – 3:46
 * 5) "Drive" (acoustic) – 3:52

UK CD single
 * 1) "Drive"
 * 2) "Drive" (acoustic)
 * 3) "Clean" (live)
 * 4) "Drive" (video)

UK 7-inch EP
 * A1. "Drive" (live orchestral version) – 4:05
 * B1. "Favourite Things" (live) – 3:45
 * B2. "Pardon Me" (live) – 4:18

European CD1
 * 1) "Drive" (album version) – 3:52
 * 2) "Pardon Me" (live) – 4:18

European CD2
 * 1) "Drive" (album version) – 3:52
 * 2) "Drive" (orchestral studio version) – 3:55
 * 3) "Favorite Things" (live) – 3:45
 * 4) "Pardon Me" (live) – 4:18
 * 5) "Clean" (live)

Credits and personnel
Credits are taken from the European CD2 liner notes.

Studios
 * Recorded at NRG Recording Studios (North Hollywood, Los Angeles)
 * Mastered at A&M Studios (Hollywood, California, US)

Incubus
 * Incubus – production
 * Brandon Boyd – writing
 * Mike Einziger – writing
 * Dirk Lance – writing
 * Chris Kilmore – writing
 * José Pasillas – writing

Additional musicians
 * Dave Holdridge – cello, digital editing

Other personnel
 * Scott Litt – production, mixing
 * Rick Will – mixing
 * Michael "Elvis" Baskette – engineering
 * Matt Griffin – assistant engineering
 * Evan Hollander – assistant engineering
 * Stephen Marcussen – mastering
 * Brandy Flower – design
 * Danny Clinch – photography