Shambala (song)

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“Shambala”
“Shambala” cover
Song by Three Dog Night
Album Cyan
Released 1973
Genre pop/adult contemporary
Length 3:25
Label Dunhill
Writer Daniel Moore
Cyan track listing
"Ridin' Thumb"
(4)		 “Shambala”
(5)		 "Singer Man"
(6)


"Shambala" is a song written by songwriter Daniel Moore. In 1973, versions by two different artists appeared in the Billboard Hot 100.

Contents

[edit] B.W. Stevenson

The first version of "Shambala" was recorded by Texan singer-songwriter B. W. Stevenson. The single of this version hit the Billboard charts on May 12, 1973 and peaked at number 66 during its eight-week run.[1][2][3] This lesser-known version is often regarded as country pop or country rock and appears on collections of such. The twang of Stevenson's steel-string acoustic guitar, his Southern accent and a sort of folk music hand clapping all distinguish it from the better-known version soon to follow.[4]

There is no "hand-clapping" in the standard release of "Shambala" (as it appears in the CD "The Very Best of B. W. Stevenson"). There is a sound on the rhythm track that might be confused with hand-clapping (if not listened to very closely) that sounds like chopping on an electric guitar.

[edit] Three Dog Night

One week after Stevenson's version debuted on the Hot 100, rock band Three Dog Night's version also debuted on the Hot 100, reaching the number 3 position in both the pop singles and adult contemporary categories.[2]

That same year, it also appeared on Cyan, Three Dog Night's tenth album. This and other Three Dog Night versions have subsequently appeared on numerous anthologies, both those solely of that band's work and those featuring the work of other artists as well.[2][5]

Although the lyrics of "Shambala" draw on a theme from Eastern mysticism, All Music Guide notes the "very strong gospel feeling" of the album Cyan is most evident on this song. This comment was probably based on both the instrumentation (including the characteristic gospel keyboard organ sounds that accompany the chorus) and the bluesy vocals of Cory Wells. All Music Guide calls this hit single "one of the group's finest later period records."[2]

[edit] Lyrics

The song is about the mythical kingdom of Shambala, said to be hidden somewhere within or beyond the peaks of the Himalayas and mentioned in various ancient texts including the Kalachakra Tantra and ancient texts of Tibetan Buddhism.[6]

The lyrics refer to a situation where kindness and cooperation are universal, joy and good fortune abound, and psychological burdens are lifted:

Wash away my troubles, wash away my pain
With the rain in Shambala
Wash away my sorrow, wash away my shame
With the rain in Shambala [...]
Everyone is helpful, everyone is kind
On the road to Shambala
Everyone is lucky, everyone is so kind
On the road to Shambala [...]
How does your light shine, in the halls of Shambala?

While the lyrics include the refrain "in the halls of Shambala", much of the song actually refers to "the road to Shambala", perhaps alluding to the idea of Shambala not as a physical place but as a metaphor for the spiritual path one might follow.[6]

[edit] Film and television use

This song has proven a popular accompaniment to film and television and has appeared in the following:

[edit] Other versions

  • Despite having two successful incarnations in the same year (one of which has remained a classic rock standard), few other artists have covered "Shambala". The cover recorded by Rockapella may be the most notable post-1973 version.
  • There are several other songs with "Shambala" or "Shambhala" as or in the title that have no direct connection to the Daniel Moore composition described here. An example is the 1969 Alan Hovhaness concerto for violin, sitar and orchestra named "Shambala".

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1] DJM Records: Daniel(Joseph)Moore.
  2. ^ a b c d [2] All Music Guide
  3. ^ As Stevenson was a songwriter himself, and co-wrote the top-ten hit "My Maria" with Moore, some sources erroneously list Stevenson as the writer or co-writer of "Shambala". Incidentally, some sources either recognize musical similarities between these two songs or refute those that do.
  4. ^ [3] Country & Country-Rock Collection: B.W. Stevenson
  5. ^ [4] Last fm music, "Shambala"
  6. ^ a b [5] Mistaken Foreign Myths about Shambhala