Out in the Country

"Out in the Country" is a song written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols and performed by Three Dog Night. It was produced by Richard Podolor,^[1] and was featured on their 1970 album, It Ain't Easy.^[2] In the US, "Out in the Country" peaked at number 11 on the US adult contemporary chart, and number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on October 17, 1970.^[3] Outside the US, the record reached number 9 in Canada.^[4] Released in the first year of Earth Day, "Out in the Country" was an early environmental advocacy song. The lyrics are about finding solace outside the city, "before the breathing air is gone..."

"Out in the Country"
Single by Three Dog Night
from the album It Ain't Easy
B-side	"Good Time Living"
Released	August 1970
Recorded	1969
Genre	Rock
Length	3:08
Label	Dunhill
Songwriter(s)	Paul Williams Roger Nichols
Producer(s)	Richard Podolor
Three Dog Night singles chronology
"Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" (1970) "Out in the Country" (1970) "One Man Band" (1970)

Cash Box described the song as having "Attractive material and an exciting TDN delivery [that] give the team another top forty blockbuster."^[5]

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1970) Peak position Australia (KMR)[6] 85 Canada RPM Top Singles[7] 9 US Billboard Hot 100[8] 15 US Billboard Adult Contemporary 11 US Cash Box Top 100[9] 9

Year-end charts Chart (1970) Rank US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)[10] 126 US Cash Box Top 100[11] 86

Other versions

• Williams released a version on his 1972 album, Life Goes On.
• R.E.M. covered it as a b-side for their 2003 single Bad Day.

References

1. Three Dog Night, "Out in the Country" single release Retrieved January 31, 2015
2. Three Dog Night, It Ain't Easy Retrieved January 31, 2015
3. Three Dog Night, "Out in the Country" U.S. Chart Positions Retrieved January 31, 2015
4. Three Dog Night, "Out in the Country" Canada Chart Position Archived 2016-10-20 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved January 31, 2015
5. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 29, 1970. p. 28. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
6. David Kent's Australian Chart Book 1970—1992
7. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
8. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
9. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles, October 24, 1970". Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
10. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
11. "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1970; December 26, 1970". Archived from the original on July 22, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2016.

External links

• Lyrics of this song
• Three Dog Night - Out in the Country on YouTube