Never Been to Spain

"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] In the US, "Never Been to Spain" peaked at number 5 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 3 in Canada[6] and number 34 in Australia.

"Never Been to Spain"
Single by Three Dog Night
from the album Harmony
B-side"Peace of Mind"
ReleasedJanuary 1972
GenreRock
Length3:43
LabelDunhill 4299
Songwriter(s)Hoyt Axton
Producer(s)Richard Podolor
Three Dog Night singles chronology
"An Old Fashioned Love Song"
(1971)
"Never Been to Spain"
(1971)
"The Family of Man"
(1972)

The lyrics consist of the narrator ruminating on places that he has never visited, but feels that he has some proxy experience of, via the music or other features of those places, or from having gone to similar locations. 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

Other versions

  • Elvis Presley released a version of the song on his 1972 album As Recorded at Madison Square Garden.
  • Ronnie Sessions released a version of the song as a single in 1972 that reached number 36 on the Billboard Country chart.[14]
  • Cher released a version of the song on her 1972 album Foxy Lady.
  • Waylon Jennings released a version of the song that was featured on his 1972 album Ladies Love Outlaws and in the 2007 concert film Never Say Die: The Final Concert and its soundtrack.
  • Ike & Tina Turner released a version of the song on their 1977 album Delilah's Power.
  • Cravin' Melon released a version of the song on their 1998 EP Squeeze Me.
  • ApologetiX did a parody of the song entitled "Never Been to Spain (Yet)" that was featured on their 2007 live album Chosen Ones.
  • The Oklahoma State University Cowboy Marching Band plays a version of the song every football game during the first time out of the fourth quarter, as well as at numerous other events throughout each academic year. It has been recorded in several of their performance albums. The entire marching band and stadium of fans yell "State" in unison following the line "I've never been to heaven, but I've been to Oklahoma".
  • The Killers opened their second concert ever in Oklahoma City on May 7, 2019, by walking onstage to a recording of the song.

References

  1. "Hoyt Axton, Singer, Character Actor and Hit Songwriter, Dies". Articles.latimes.com. October 27, 1999. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  2. Associated Press. "Cory Wells, vocalist with Three Dog Night, dies at 74". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  3. Three Dog Night, Harmony Discogs.com, Retrieved February 7, 2015
  4. Three Dog Night, "Never Been to Spain" single release 45.cat.com, Retrieved February 7, 2015
  5. Three Dog Night, "Never Been to Spain" U.S. Chart Positions Retrieved February 7, 2015
  6. Three Dog Night, "Never Been to Spain" Canada Chart Position Archived 2015-02-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved February 7, 2015
  7. Three Dog Night, "Never Been to Spain" Canada Chart Position Archived 2015-02-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved February 7, 2015
  8. Flavour of New Zealand, 24 April 1972
  9. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  10. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 240.
  11. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 19, 1972". Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  12. "Musicoutfitters.com". Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
  13. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 30, 1972". Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  14. Ronnie Sessions, "Never Been to Spain" Chart Position Retrieved February 7, 2015
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