Complete List Of 38 Special Songs From A to Z

Feature Photo: Carl Lender, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

38 Special formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1974 around singers and guitarists Donnie Van Zant and Don Barnes. The early group also included guitarist Jeff Carlisi, bassist Ken Lyons, and drummers Steve Brookins and Jack Grondin. Larry Junstrom later replaced Lyons, completing the lineup that carried the band from Florida clubs to a recording contract with A&M Records.

The self-titled 38 Special album arrived in 1977, followed by Special Delivery in 1978. Those records were rooted in Southern rock, but the band gradually developed a more concentrated mixture of guitar muscle, vocal harmonies, and radio-ready choruses. That transition became unmistakable on Rockin’ into the Night, released in 1979. Its title song gave 38 Special its first national pop-chart breakthrough and began a long creative relationship with songwriter Jim Peterik.

Wild-Eyed Southern Boys followed in 1981 with “Hold On Loosely,” “Fantasy Girl,” and the title track. Special Forces in 1982 produced “Caught Up in You,” “You Keep Runnin’ Away,” and “Chain Lightnin’.” The band’s combination of Southern roots and precise arena rock reached another peak with Tour de Force in 1983, driven by “If I’d Been the One,” “Back Where You Belong,” and “One Time for Old Times.”

The group also recorded important songs outside its regular studio albums. “Teacher, Teacher” appeared in the 1984 film Teachers, with “Little Dreamer” issued on the single’s B-side. “Back to Paradise” was written for Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise and appeared on the 1987 compilation Flashback: The Best of 38 Special. “Prisoners of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” another non-album recording, had previously appeared as the B-side of “You Keep Runnin’ Away.”

Don Barnes left after Strength in Numbers, and the band entered a new phase with singer and keyboardist Max Carl and guitarist Danny Chauncey. Rock & Roll Strategy in 1988 yielded “Second Chance,” which became 38 Special’s highest-charting Hot 100 single and topped Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Bone Against Steel followed in 1991 with “The Sound of Your Voice,” “Rebel to Rebel,” and the title track.

Barnes later returned, and 38 Special continued with Resolution in 1997, the holiday album A Wild-Eyed Christmas Night in 2001, and Drivetrain in 2004. Donnie Van Zant eventually left the touring lineup after inner-ear nerve damage made performing increasingly difficult. The group continued under Barnes with keyboardist and vocalist Bobby Capps, drummer Gary Moffatt, bassist Barry Dunaway, and guitarist Jerry Riggs.

In 2025, 38 Special released Milestone, its first studio album in more than twenty years. The nine-song record reunited Barnes with Peterik as a co-writer, featured Pat Monahan of Train on “Slightly Controversial,” and included “So Much So Right,” “All I Haven’t Said,” “Long Long Train,” “Making Up for Lost Time,” and “The Look.” Its release brought the band’s studio-album total to thirteen when the 2001 holiday album is included.