Two Tickets to Paradise

"Two Tickets to Paradise" is a song by American rock singer, Eddie Money, from his 1977 album Eddie Money. It was released as a single in June 1978 and reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background and content

Money wrote the song about his girlfriend at the time. His girlfriend's mother wanted her to marry a doctor or a lawyer, not a musician. Money wrote the song as plea to take her away.

Release

The 45 RPM record single version of the song is considerably different from the now more familiar LP version that appears on the Eddie Money album, a vast number of Money compilation albums and MP3 digital downloads as Money had re-recorded his entire lead vocal for the 45 RPM edition. The LP version is broken up in three verses, two choruses, with a harmony section of "Whoa Whoa" right before the third verse, while the re-recorded 45 RPM version is now three verses, three choruses, (with the third verse sang over the "Whoa" harmony segment), also added were guitar riffs during the "waited so long" parts; also lyrics were changed to the chorus slightly, as instead of saying "I've got two tickets to paradise, I've got two tickets to paradise" right after saying "pack your bags, we leave tonight" is now "Baby, it'll be so nice, for I've got two tickets to paradise". The mix is also substantially different, and new and different lead guitar parts appear throughout. Lastly, the LP version ends with a conclusive bongo/drum ending; whereas the 45 version uses a "fade away rhythm," dj style close. The 45 RPM version runs at 3:07 minutes. Most U.S. radio stations, inclusively, air the wider available LP version, where radio stations that specifically only format the hit-single versions of oldies, will digitize themselves the 45 RPM record for airplay. The 45 RPM version has been reissued on the Playlist: The Very Best of Eddie Money compilation CD. The guitar solo was performed by Jimmy Lyon.

In popular culture

"Two Tickets to Paradise" has been used in the video game, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, on the fictional radio station K-DST, and on an episode of the TV show Unhitched. The song also appears in the episode "Homer Loves Flanders" of The Simpsons, in which Homer sings and plays the air guitar to the rock song. Michael Scott of The Office sings a short, parodied version of the song in the episode "A Benihana Christmas". It was also featured in an episode of The King of Queens where Doug Heffernan and Deacon Palmer attempt to spend $5000 in one day, and they hire Eddie to play in Doug's living room. The song can be heard as a background number in the film, Sideways. In one of the beginning scenes of Balls of Fury, Randy's co-performing counterpart can be seen (and heard) singing a karaoke version of the song with a parrot.

Chart positions

References