Never Been to Spain
1971 single by Three Dog Night From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Never Been to Spain" is a song written by Hoyt Axton,[1] originally released on his 1971 LP Joy to the World and later that year performed by Three Dog Night, with Cory Wells on lead vocal.[2] It was featured on their 1971 album Harmony.[3] The recording was produced by Richard Podolor.[4]
| "Never Been to Spain" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Three Dog Night | ||||
| from the album Harmony | ||||
| B-side | "Peace of Mind" | |||
| Released | January 1972 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:43 | |||
| Label | Dunhill 4299 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Hoyt Axton | |||
| Producer(s) | Richard Podolor | |||
| Three Dog Night singles chronology | ||||
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Background
The lyrics consist of the narrator ruminating about overseas locales that he has never visited, but about which he feels he has some proxy experience, primarily via the music, but also due to other presumed highlights found in those places. He loosely compares his own actual travels to these more worldly spots.
In the final verse, he observes that while he has "never been to heaven", he has "been to Oklahoma", where he was told he was born, thus implying a kinship between the two places. Hoyt Axton, who was born in Oklahoma, explained that he originally wrote, "...in Oklahoma, born in a coma...." However, it was considered inappropriate; thus, the lyrics were changed to "not Arizona".
Chart history
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In the US, "Never Been to Spain" peaked at number five on the Billboard chart, and number 18 on the U.S. adult contemporary chart in 1972.[5] Outside of the US, "Never Been to Spain" reached number three in RPM in Canada[6] and number 34 in Australia.
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Other notable versions
Ronnie Sessions released his version as a single in 1972 that reached number 36 on the Billboard Country chart.[14]
References
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