Recorded - summer or fall, 1970
Released - November 18, 1970 (album), February 1971 (single)
#1 for weeks of April 17 and 24 & May 1, 8, 15 and 22, 1971.
"Jeremiah was a bullfrog...was a good friend of mine": One of the most iconic and instantly recognizable intro lyrics of all time. Three Dog Night's "Joy To The World", written by songwriter Hoyt Axton became their second #1, and was ranked by Billboard as the top single of the year. But was the song really worth its hit status, and did it deserve six weeks at the top? Find out...right now...
Unlike some of Three Dog Night's earlier hits such as "One" and "Mama Told Me Not To Come", "Joy To The World" features all of the members of Three Dog Night on vocals. This includes not just the trio of Hutton/Negron/Wells but also the four instrument-playing members of the group. Yes, it's easy to assume that the band Three Dog Night had seven members total. This added amount of vocalists contributes greatly to the song's singalong and anthemic quality.
Musically, "Joy To The World" is heavily keyboard-based. Whether it be the electric organ in the intro, or the keyboard solos in the middle of the piece, this is a keyboard lover's paradise. We also have an unexpected key change near the end of the song and a few counter-melodies going on in the vocals. Overall, lots of goodies for both the casual and complex music fan.
Finally we have the lyrics. Three Dog Night are on record as calling this a "Silly" and "Childish" single. The lyrics are often nonsensical, not unlike "I Am The Walrus". It is not a lyrically profound song, but I wouldn't rank this in a low novelty category either. No novelty song would have such strong lead vocalists or a borderline hard rock music track. This is a rare case where "Silly and childish" is welcomed with open arms.
Final Verdict - I personally wouldn't rank "Joy To The World" as the best pop single of 1971. However, I can't deny the enjoyment that I get out of hearing it. "Joy To The World" may not be as lyrically complex as say, something by Bob Dylan, yet it's got an outstanding vocal track and a rich music track. A highly enjoyable song that belongs in your record collection.
Coming Up Next - "Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones.
Until Next Time, I'm Dr. Rock the bullfrog -
No comments:
Post a Comment