Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses

"Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses"
Single by Kathy Mattea
from the album Untasted Honey
B-side	"Like a Hurricane
Released	March 12, 1988
Genre	Country
Length	3:23
Label	Mercury
Writer(s)	Gene Nelson and Paul Nelson
Producer(s)	Allen Reynolds
Kathy Mattea singles chronology
"Goin' Gone" (1987) "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" (1988) "Untold Stories" (1988)

"Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses" is a song written by Paul Nelson and Gene Nelson, and recorded by American country music artist Kathy Mattea. It was released in March 1988 as the second single from her album Untasted Honey. The song hit number one on both the US^[1] and Canadian Country charts in 1988. The song is about a truck driver called Charlie who is retiring after 30 years to spend the rest of his time with his wife. The song mentions Charlie receiving a gold watch, a common retirement gift.

Music video

The video was directed by Jim May & Coke Sams. The first scene takes place at The Pie Wagon, a small diner off Music Row in Nashville. It features a truck driver, who asks for Kathy's autograph, as a present for his wife. Throughout the video, there are scenes of Kathy on her tour bus, performing, with her band, and scenes of the trucker. In the end, the driver makes it home, his wife greeting him, and he hands her the dozen roses mentioned in the song's lyric, as they walk arm in arm into their house; Kathy turns off the lights to the bus, and the last shot is one also seen in the beginning of the video; various trucks driving on the highway.

Charts

Chart (1988)	Peak position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[2]	1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1

External links

• Lyrics at cmt.com

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 217.
2. "Kathy Mattea – Chart history" Billboard Hot Country Songs for Kathy Mattea.