Song of the Day 3/8: Hoyt Axton, “Never Been to Spain”
This is the last day this song title will be true for me.
A hit for Three Dog Night, who earlier took Axton’s “Joy to the World” to No. 1, this is the songwriter’s less glitzy original version. It was released, aptly enough, on Axton’s 1971 LP “Joy to the World.” It contains the original final verse with the line, “Oklahoma, born in a coma, what does it matter?”
Three Dog Night recorded it by the end of the year with Cory Wells singing lead, and they changed the line to “Oklahoma, not Arizona, what does it matter?” Their version reached No. 5.
By 1972 Elvis Presley had added it to his set for his concert in Madison Square Garden.
I think you featured “Indian Wants Me” here a ways back – another location song I pair together with today’s song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNM5g2ARGyY
I’ve still never been to Indiana, unless you count the Tex-Mex restaurant called “Indiana” in Place Bastille. I didn’t want to correct their geography.
Hoyt Axton wrote a Number One tune on the Billboard Charts as did his mother Mae Axton. She wrote “Heartbreak Hotel” by Elvis Presley. I believe they were the only Mother and Son songwriters who topped the pop charts. Hoyt also wrote “Greenback Dollar” by the Kingston Trio.
Speaking of “Indiana Wants Me” check out R. Dean Taylor’s follow up from early ’71, “Ain’t It A Sad Thing”. I heard it once on WIBG Radio in Philly but it is a standard today on oldies stations in his native Canada. Ironically titled it has a happy-go-lucky beat featuring whistling. Perhaps you can make this Song of the Day on Earth Day, Wed. April 22nd.