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During the Great Depression of the 1930s, "Keep on Truckin'" was coined as a slang phrase of encouragement that meant, "Stay focused on your goals, no matter the setbacks."
You still see it in print or hear it said from time to time, and if you were listening to the radio back in 1973, you heard it sung by Eddie Kendricks.
Eddie had left the Temptations for a solo career in 1971, and although he stayed with Motown Records, it took a while for him to score a solo hit.
But Eddie was aware of three things: #1: "Keep on Truckin" could be applied to romance. #2: "Truckin' was also a Vaudevillian shuffle step dance move. #3: Truck drivers used "Truckin' as a catchphrase.
Once he figured out how he could put the three together, a "Great Song of 1973" was born.
TRIVIA: as a "dig" at his former group, Eddie added the lyric: "In old Temptations' rain, I'm duckin'...or your love through sleet or snow, I'm truckin').
The song was slightly ahead of its time. In fact, it was only the second disco song to reach #1 on both the Hot 100 and Rhythm & Blues Charts. (Love Train by The O'Jays" did it a few months earlier.)
"Keep on Truckin' by Eddie Kendricks: encouragement, a dance step, a catchphrase...and a "Great Song of 1973!
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