Down in the Boondocks (song)

"Down in the Boondocks" is a song written by Joe South and recorded by American artist Billy Joe Royal. It was a hit in 1965, reaching number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[1] In the UK, it hit number 38 on the Record Retailer chart.^[2] The song comes from the album Down in the Boondocks.^[3]

Content

The song is sung from the perspective of a self-proclaimed "boy from down in the boondocks." He sings of a girl who lives nearby, for whom he feels love and he steals away with occasionally. The people who live or are born in the boondocks are suggested to be a lower class than those in the city. The girl's father is the singer's boss, which, along with the social division, prevents him from proclaiming his love and connecting with her, despite the shared feelings. The singer proclaims that "one fine day, I'll find a way, to move from this old shack," presumably to be able to join the higher class members of society and finally be able to date the girl within the public eye.

Cover versions

Penny DeHaven's 1969 version reached No. 37 on the Billboard country chart.^[4] The song was covered in 1978 by Kenny Loggins on his Nightwatch album,^[5] and twice in 1980, first by Ry Cooder, included it on his album, Borderline^[6] and by D.L. Byron, featuring backing vocals by Billy Joel.^[7] It was also recorded by Depeche Mode member Martin Gore for his first solo CD Counterfeit E.P. in 1989 but was ultimately left out of the final track listing. In 2012 the band U.S. Girls covered the song on their album Gem.

References

External links

• Full lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics