Special Reports

8 Most Fascinating Hands on a Hardbody Statistics

A few fun facts to mull over while you listen to your freshly downloaded Hands on a Hardbody cast recording.

Hands on a Hardbody ‘s Tony Award-nominated score by Amanda Green and Phish frontman Trey Anastasio, is coming to the iPods of Hardbody fans everywhere. At long last, the original cast album, which was recorded this past April, is available for purchase.

For those of you who have not yet been introduced to the musical, Hands on a Hardbody is based on true events captured in a 1997 documentary by S.R. Bindler. It follows a group of down-on-their-luck Texans who have entered a stamina competition to win a pickup truck where they must keep one gloved hand on the vehicle’s “hardbody” as long as possible.

To help you either to reminisce about your Broadway experience or to entice you to buy the cast album, TheaterMania has conducted an unprecedented statistical analysis of the show’s text. After a thorough investigation, here are our top 8 favorite findings:

1. Number of times the word truck is spoken/sung throughout the show: 68

2. Number of words used to rhyme with truck: 2 (luck and stuck)

3. Percentage of songs with references to Texas: 37.5%

4. Percentage of songs with references to money/employment: 56.25%

5. Percentage of songs with references to God: 62.5%

6. Number of times the word “hands” appears in the song “Hands on a Hardbody”: 2

7. Number of times the word “hands” appears in the song “Keep Your Hands on It”: 10

8. Vehicles (other than the hardbody) mentioned in the text:
’86 Camaro, Sedan, Accord, Maxima, Porsche, Pathfinder, Maserati, Z-Coupe, Altima Coupe, Corvette, Mustang, Hatchback, Greyhound bus, Honda (unknown model), Schwinn bicycle, ’96 Impala, flat-bed truck, VW Bug, tractor, hybrid, and an antique Chevy on a redneck’s lawn.

The cast of <i>Hands on a Hardbody</i>.
The cast of Hands on a Hardbody.
(© Chad Batka)