Although many of Rabbitt's successful songs were country-pop material, "Drivin' My Life Away" began his peak popularity as a crossover artist.

In 1981, "Drivin' My Life Away" was certified gold for sales of half a million units by the Recording Industry Association of America.

In 1998, country music artist Rhett Akins recorded a cover version of this song for the soundtrack to the 1998 film Black Dog.

This cover, released with Lee Ann Womack's "A Man with 18 Wheels" on the B-side, peaked at number 56 on the country music charts.

Akins felt that the movie "was going to be high energy", so he made his rendition "a pretty rockin' track, real edgy".