| "Is This The Way To Amarillo" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Tony Christie | |
| B-side | "Love Is A Friend Of Mine" |
| Released | November 1971 |
| Recorded | 1971 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 3:10 |
| Label | MCA Records (UK and Europe); Kapp Records (US) |
| Writer(s) | Sedaka/Greenfield |
| Producer | Tony Christie |
"Is This the Way to Amarillo" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, referring to Amarillo, Texas. It is about a man traveling to Amarillo to find his girlfriend. The reason that Amarillo was chosen for the song was because it was the only place name that Sedaka could think of that rhymed with "willow" and "pillow". The song was originally to be titled, "Is This the Way to Pensacola" referring to Pensacola, Florida, but Sedaka felt that Amarillo worked better than Pensacola.[1]
Written by two Americans about a United States city, the song was first released in Europe, where it became much more famous than it has ever been in the composers' native country.
The song was recorded by Tony Christie and released in the UK in November 1971, initially reaching number 18 in the UK Singles Chart. However, it was a substantially bigger hit at that time across Continental Europe, notably in Germany and Spain where it made number one. In Germany, the song's chorus is widely adapted as a chant by football and hockey fans even today. Following its re-issue in 2005 - when it reached number one in the UK - the song gained even greater popularity. In 2006 it was played at the World Cup Final in Berlin and was also played by The Central Band of the Royal British Legion on Centre Court at Wimbledon before the start of the Men's Singles final.
Contents |
| "Is This The Way To Amarillo" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Neil Sedaka | |
| from the album "A Song" | |
| B-side | "The Leaving Game" |
| Released | 1977 |
| Recorded | 1977 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Label | Elektra Records |
| Writer(s) | Sedaka/Greenfield |
In the United States, a version by the writer of the song Neil Sedaka made to number 44 in the Billboard charts in 1977, and the title was shortened to "Amarillo".
| "Is This the Way to Amarillo" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay | |
| Released | 14 March 2005 |
| Format | Download, CD, DVD |
| Genre | Pop, Charity, Comedy, Country |
In 2002, Tony Christie's version was used in the British comedy series Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights. The song was re-released on 14 March 2005 to raise money for the Comic Relief charity, with an accompanying video where Peter Kay Lip-synced the song accompanied by various celebrities including Brian May, Roger Taylor, Shakin' Stevens, Shaun Ryder, Bez, Michael Parkinson, Heather Mills, Danny Baker, Ronnie Corbett, Mr Blobby, Jim Bowen, look-alikes of Cliff Richard (the same lookalike is used in the Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights spin off, Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere) and Mahatma Gandhi, William Roache, Anne Kirkbride, Sally Lindsay, Jimmy Savile, Bernie Clifton, Keith Harris and Orville the Duck, Sooty, Sweep, Geoffrey Hayes and Bungle and Tony Christie himself. Within the first few cameos, Max and Paddy from Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights and its spin-off appear together, arguing and eventually fighting in the Granada studios corridor. This is one of many appearances of characters from Peter Kay's TV series, including Paddy's tennis playing cell mate Cliff (Cliff Richard lookalike) from Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere, and both a midget football team and Brian Potter from Phoenix Nights. The video consists almost entirely of Kay walking towards the camera flanked by different pairings of the celebrities, in front of increasingly bizarre and unlikely backgrounds. This time the song reached number 1 in the UK chart and remained there for 7 weeks selling over a million copies, becoming the UK's best-selling single of 2005.
During its 2005 success the song was credited in chart rundowns and other media appearances to "Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay". However, Kay does not appear on the record, since it is a re-issue of the 1971 version and not a re-recording.
| Preceded by "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid 20 |
Top selling single of the year (UK) 2005 |
Succeeded by "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley |
| Preceded by "All About You/You've Got a Friend" by McFly |
UK number one single 26 March 2005 - 13 May 2005 |
Succeeded by "Lonely" by Akon |
| Preceded by "All About You/You've Got a Friend" by McFly |
Irish Singles Chart number-one single 31 March 2005 - 28 April 2005 |
Succeeded by "Lonely" by Akon |
BBC One's This Week used a parody of Kay's video, starring presenter Andrew Neil, for its opening titles in the run-up to the 2005 election.[2]
On 13 May 2005, another spoof video of the song made by the Royal Dragoon Guards stationed in Iraq was emailed so frequently it crashed a server at the Ministry of Defence. The spoof was entitled "Is This The Way To Armadillo" .[3]
On 6 August 2006, Riverton Rover Crew also did an award winning spoof of the Tony Christie video.[4]
On 2 July 2005, Peter Kay, joined by the crowd, sang an excerpt of this song a cappella, before introducing The Who at Live 8's London concert. Before this, at a 4 May 2005 concert by Queen + Paul Rodgers at the Manchester Evening News Arena, Kay and his regular co-star Paddy McGuinness led the crowd in an impromptu rendition while they introduced the band's encore. The pair were later invited back on stage to take a bow with the band at the end of the show.
The Dutch singer Albert West covered the song in 2005, making the Dutch charts. After the successful re-release of the song in the UK, Tony Christie re-recorded it with the Hermes House Band; this version charted in Germany in 2005. There is also a version by The Les Humphries Singers and a version in German by Roberto Blanco. There was also a 1971 version on the MGM label (K 14360) by a band called English House. It was produced by Terry Slater. The A-side was "Music Is The Voice Of Love" composed by Terry Slater and Phil Everly.