Detroit City
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Detroit City” | |||||
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| Single by Bobby Bare from the album Detroit City and Other Hits |
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| Released | May 1963 (U.S.) | ||||
| Format | 7" | ||||
| Recorded | April 18, 1963 Nashville, Tennessee |
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| Genre | Country | ||||
| Length | 2:47 | ||||
| Label | RCA Records 47-8183 | ||||
| Writer(s) | Danny Dill and Mel Tillis | ||||
| Bobby Bare singles chronology | |||||
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"Detroit City" is a song made famous by country music singer Bobby Bare. Originally released in 1963, the song — sometimes known as "I Wanna Go Home" (from the opening line to the refrain) — was Bare's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that summer, and became a country music standard.
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[edit] About the song
Prior to Bare's success with "Detroit City," country singer Billy Grammer released his version of the Danny Dill-Mel Tillis penned song. His version was known as "I Wanna Go Home." However, Bare's version — released as "Detroit City" — became the better-known version.
The song is the working man's complaint, and "with its melody reminiscent of the 'Sloop John B,' describes the alienation felt by many rural southerners in the mid North," wrote country music historian Bill Malone. "Here, his (Bare's) earnest and planative interpretationlends great believability to this mournful song."[1]
The song's peak in popularity during the summer of 1963 came during a time when Tillis was still experiencing most of his success as a songwriter. He had previously written hits for Webb Pierce, Brenda Lee, Stonewall Jackson and others, but this was one of his earliest major hits as a songwriter outside of those artists.
[edit] Chart success
Grammer's "I Wanna Go Home" reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in early 1963. That summer, Bare's re-titled version peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard country chart and No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
[edit] Cover versions
A diverse range of artists in many genres have covered "Detroit City." In addition to Tillis recording his own version, some of the more well-known artists recording the song were Solomon Burke, Bill Anderson, Johnny Cash, Flatt & Scruggs, Jan and Dean, Tom Jones, Dean Martin and Hank Williams Jr.[2]
[edit] References and sources
[edit] References
- ^ Malone, Bill, "Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection" ((booklet included with Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection 4-disc set). Smithsonian Institution, 1990).
- ^ [1] "Detroit City" at All Music Guide.
[edit] Sources
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Pop Singles: 1955-2006," 2007.
