Blurb:
"Is This the Way to Amarillo" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, referring to Amarillo, Texas. It is about a man travelling to Amarillo to find his fiancée. The reason that Amarillo was chosen for the song was because it was the only place name that Sedaka could think of that rhymed with "willow" and "pillow". Musically, it is in the key of A major and in a time signature of 4/4 (common).
Although written by two Americans about an American city, the song became famous in the United Kingdom and around Europe, and remains generally unknown in the United States.
The song was recorded by Tony Christie and released in the UK in November 1971, initially reaching number 18 in the UK Singles Chart. However, it was a substantially bigger hit at that time across Continental Europe, notably in Germany and Spain where it made number one. In Germany, the song's chorus is widely adapted as a chant by football and hockey fans even today. Following its re-issue in 2005 - when it reached number one in the UK - the song gained even greater popularity. In 2006 it was played at the World Cup Final in Berlin and was also played by The Central Band of the Royal British Legion on Centre Court at Wimbledon before the start of the Men's Singles final.
In 2002, Tony Christie's version was used in the British comedy series Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights. The song was re-released on 14 March 2005 to raise money for the Comic Relief charity, with an accompanying video where Peter Kay mimed the song accompanied by various celebrities including Shakin' Stevens, Shaun Ryder, Bez, Michael Parkinson, Heather Mills McCartney, Danny Baker, Ronnie Corbett, Mr Blobby, Jim Bowen, lookalikes of Cliff Richard and Mahatma Gandhi, William Roache, Anne Kirkbride, Jimmy Savile, Bernie Clifton, Keith Harris and Orville the duck, Sooty, Sweep, Brian May, Roger Taylor and Tony Christie himself. The video consists almost entirely of Kay walking towards the camera flanked by different pairings of the celebrities, in front of increasingly bizarre and unlikely backgrounds. This time the song reached number 1 in the UK chart and remained there for 7 weeks selling over a million copies, becoming the UK's best-selling single of 2005.
"Is This the Way to Amarillo" is a song written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, referring to Amarillo, Texas. It is about a man travelling to Amarillo to find his fiancée. The reason that Amarillo was chosen for the song was because it was the only place name that Sedaka could think of that rhymed with "willow" and "pillow". Musically, it is in the key of A major and in a time signature of 4/4 (common).
Although written by two Americans about an American city, the song became famous in the United Kingdom and around Europe, and remains generally unknown in the United States.
The song was recorded by Tony Christie and released in the UK in November 1971, initially reaching number 18 in the UK Singles Chart. However, it was a substantially bigger hit at that time across Continental Europe, notably in Germany and Spain where it made number one. In Germany, the song's chorus is widely adapted as a chant by football and hockey fans even today. Following its re-issue in 2005 - when it reached number one in the UK - the song gained even greater popularity. In 2006 it was played at the World Cup Final in Berlin and was also played by The Central Band of the Royal British Legion on Centre Court at Wimbledon before the start of the Men's Singles final.
In 2002, Tony Christie's version was used in the British comedy series Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights. The song was re-released on 14 March 2005 to raise money for the Comic Relief charity, with an accompanying video where Peter Kay mimed the song accompanied by various celebrities including Shakin' Stevens, Shaun Ryder, Bez, Michael Parkinson, Heather Mills McCartney, Danny Baker, Ronnie Corbett, Mr Blobby, Jim Bowen, lookalikes of Cliff Richard and Mahatma Gandhi, William Roache, Anne Kirkbride, Jimmy Savile, Bernie Clifton, Keith Harris and Orville the duck, Sooty, Sweep, Brian May, Roger Taylor and Tony Christie himself. The video consists almost entirely of Kay walking towards the camera flanked by different pairings of the celebrities, in front of increasingly bizarre and unlikely backgrounds. This time the song reached number 1 in the UK chart and remained there for 7 weeks selling over a million copies, becoming the UK's best-selling single of 2005.
Comic Relief charity version featuring Christie alongside UK comedian Peter Kay.
Tony Christie - (Is This The Way To) Amarillo
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Scroll and Sing:
Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala
When the day is dawning
on a Texas Sunday morning
how I long to be there
with Marie who's waiting for me there
Every lonely city
(La LaLaLaLa)
Where I hang my hat
(La LaLaLaLa)
ain't as half as pretty,
as where my baby's at,
Is this the way to Amarillo
every night I've been hugging my pillow
dreaming dreams of Amarillo
and sweet Marie who waits for me,
Show me the way to Amarillo
I've been weeping like a willow
crying over Amarillo
and sweet Marie who waits for me
Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala
and Marie who waits for me
There's a church bell ringing
hear the song of joy that it's singing
for the sweet Maria and the guy who's coming to see her
just beyond the highway, there's an open plain
and it keeps me going through the wind and rain
Is this the way to Amarillo
every night I've been hugging my pillow
dreaming dreams of Amarillo
and sweet Marie who waits for me
show me the way to Amarillo
I've been weeping like a willow
crying over Amarillo
and sweet Marie who waits for me
Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala
and Marie who waits for me
Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala
and Marie who waits for me
Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala
Sha la la lala lalala
and Marie who waits for me
1 comment:
bloody beauty
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