Arizona (song)
| "Arizona" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Man from Houston" |
"Arizona" is a song written by Kenny Young and recorded by former Paul Revere and the Raiders member Mark Lindsay, with L.A. session musicians from the Wrecking Crew,[1] in 1969. The single was Number 10 on the Hot 100 on 14 February 1970 and was awarded a RlAA Gold Disc in April 1970.[2]
Overview
The song is about a man telling his hippie girlfriend, referred to as Arizona (it is not clear if this is her real name or a hippie pseudonym) to stop acting like a teeny bopper and follow him instead. Lyrics in the song mention the girl to "get rid of her hobo shoes, rainbow shades, and Indian braids",[3] plus Robin Hood, the Count of Monte Cristo, the Countess May, and Aesop. The song was also recorded in 1969 both by Clodagh Rodgers (an Irish singer who was arguably Kenny Young's muse), and the Family Dogg. In addition the song was later covered by French singer Eddy Mitchell.
Chart performance
Weekly singles charts
| Chart (1969-70) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia KMR [4] | 10 |
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary [5] | 15 |
| Canada RPM Top Singles [6] | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 10 |
| U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [7] | 9 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1970) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australia [8] | 62 |
| Canada | 70 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [9] | 66 |
| U.S. Cash Box [10] | 61 |
References
- ^ Hartman, Kent (2012). The Wrecking Crew. St. Martin’s Griffin. pp. 261–263. ISBN 978-1-250-03046-7.
- ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs. Barrie & Jenkins. ISBN 0-214-20480-4.
- ^ Eddy, Chuck (1997). The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80741-6.
- ^ http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=35092
- ^ http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/item.aspx?IdNumber=8087&
- ^ http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.3753&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.3753.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.3753
- ^ http://50.6.195.142/archives/70s_files/19700221.html
- ^ http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=35092
- ^ http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1970.htm
- ^ http://50.6.195.142/archives/70s_files/1970YESP.html
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