Drop the Pilot

"Drop the Pilot" is a song written and performed by English singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading. It was the first single to be released from Armatrading's 1983 album, The Key, and was her third and final UK top 40 hit as of 2025. It reached number 11 in the UK Singles Chart, and spent a total of ten weeks in the Top 40.^[2] The song was a hit in Australia and New Zealand, peaking at number six on both national charts, and in South Africa, where it reached number one. The single was Armatrading's only appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, where it spent six weeks, peaking at number 78 on 25 June 1983.^[3]

"Drop the Pilot"
Single by Joan Armatrading
from the album The Key
B-side	"Business Is Business"[1]
Released	22 January 1983
Length	3:41
Label	A&M
Songwriter(s)	Joan Armatrading
Producer(s)	Val Garay
Joan Armatrading singles chronology
"No Love" (1982) "Drop the Pilot" (1983) "Temptation" (1985)

B-side

The original song "Business is Business" is featured as its B-side, a track that remains unreleased on any album.^{[citation needed]}

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1983) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 6 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[1] 35 Ireland (IRMA)[5] 12 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] 6 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[7] 1 UK Singles (OCC)[2] 11 US Billboard Hot 100[3] 78 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[8] 33

Year-end charts Chart (1983) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)[9][10] 27 South Africa (Springbok Radio)[11] 8

Mandy Moore version

"Drop the Pilot"
Single by Mandy Moore
from the album Coverage
Released	28 October 2003
Length	3:43
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Joan Armatrading
Producer(s)	John Fields
Mandy Moore singles chronology
"Have a Little Faith in Me" (2003) "Drop the Pilot" (2003) "Senses Working Overtime" (2004)
Audio video
"Drop the Pilot" on YouTube

"Drop the Pilot" was covered by American singer Mandy Moore for her third studio album, Coverage (2003).^[12] Moore's version was released as the second single from her third album on 28 October 2003 through Epic Records. The song was produced by John Fields.

Music video

A video was produced as a demo for Kodak's Vision2 500T series motion picture film. It is included on the demo DVD for the Vision2 line of stocks and used as a product example projected from a print at Kodak product screenings. The video was directed by Nick DiBella.^[13]