DJ Allyn – The Soundtrack for my Life

Old Fashioned Love Song – Three Dog Night  

Three Dog Night is an American rock band, best known for their music from 1968–1975 but still making live appearances as of 2008.

The band started with three lead vocalists — Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, and Cory Wells — who landed a recording contract with Dunhill Records in Los Angeles. They made some early recordings with Beach Boys producer, composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist Brian Wilson, and initially went by the name Redwood. Shortly after changing the band’s name, the vocalists hired a group of backing musicians — Michael Allsup on guitar, Floyd Sneed on drums, (Mickey McMeel on drums from 1973 to 1976), Joe Schermie (from the Cory Wells Blues Band) on bass, and Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards — and soon became one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s Their band road manager was Thomas H. Eggleston.

Their covers of songs by Randy Newman (“Mama Told Me Not to Come”), Laura Nyro (“Eli’s Coming” (U.S. #10)), Russ Ballard of Argent (“Liar” (U.S. #7)), Hoyt Axton (“Joy to the World”), Elton John and Bernie Taupin (“Lady Samantha” & “Your Song”), John Hiatt (“Sure As I’m Sittin’ Here” (U.S. #16)), and Leo Sayer (“The Show Must Go On” (U.S. #4)) were the first major hits for songs by these singer/songwriters. According to the commentary in the above-mentioned CD set, Elton John later credited their cover of “Your Song” with being a major factor in catapulting him to stardom. They also popularized songs by Harry Nilsson (“One” (U.S. #5)) and Paul Williams (“An Old Fashioned Love Song” (U.S. #4)).

Joe Schermie quit in 1973 and was replaced by Jack Ryland. The band then became an eight-piece with the induction of another keyboard player, Skip Konte. By 1976, Negron had become the principal vocalist, the streak of hit records had ended and a dissatisfied Hutton left the group. The group disbanded the following year, at least partly due to Negron’s drug addiction problem.

Old Fashioned Love Song

“An Old Fashioned Love Song” was written by the noted songwriter Paul Williams. Its lyrics suggest the straightforward and melodic nature of the tune: Just an old fashioned love song / Comin’ down in three part harmony / Just an old fashioned love song / One I’m sure they wrote for you and me.

Three Dog Night recorded it the same year by shortening the name to Old Fashioned Love Song and it became a hit.

Just an old-fashioned love song playin’ on the radio
And wrapped around the music is the sound
Of someone promising they’ll never go
You swear you’ve heard it before
As it slowly rambles on and on
No need in bringin’ `em back,
`Cause they’re never really gone

Just an old-fashioned love song
One I’m sure they wrote for you and me
Just an old-fashioned love song
Comin’ down in 3-part harmony

To weave our dreams upon and listen to each evening
When the lights are low
To underscore our love affair
With tenderness and feeling that we’ve come to know
You swear you’ve heard it before
As it slowly rambles on and on and
No need in bringin’ `em back,
`Cause they’re never really gone

Just an old-fashioned love song
Comin’ down in 3-part harmony
Just an old-fashioned love song
One I’m sure they wrote for you and me
Just an old-fashioned love song
Comin’ down in 3-part harmony
Just an old-fashioned love song
One I’m sure they wrote for you and me

To weave our dreams upon and listening to a song . . .

• Audio from the 1971 album, Harmony:

Never Been to Spain ~ Three Dog Night  

Three Dog Night is an American rock band, best known for their music from 1968–1975 but still making live appearances as of 2008.

The band started with three lead vocalists — Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, and Cory Wells — who landed a recording contract with Dunhill Records in Los Angeles. They made some early recordings with Beach Boys producer, composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist Brian Wilson, and initially went by the name Redwood. Shortly after changing the band’s name, the vocalists hired a group of backing musicians — Michael Allsup on guitar, Floyd Sneed on drums, (Mickey McMeel on drums from 1973 to 1976), Joe Schermie (from the Cory Wells Blues Band) on bass, and Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards — and soon became one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s Their band road manager was Thomas H. Eggleston.

Three Dog Night earned 13 gold albums and recorded 21 Billboard Top 40 hits, 7 of which went gold. Their first gold record was “Easy To Be Hard” (U.S. #4), from the musical Hair. They had three U.S. number one songs: “Mama Told Me Not to Come” (which was also their only Top 10 hit in the UK), “Joy to the World”, and “Black and White”. Dunhill Records claimed 40 million LP units sold by them during that time period.

Their covers of songs by Randy Newman (“Mama Told Me Not to Come”), Laura Nyro (“Eli’s Coming” (U.S. #10)), Russ Ballard of Argent (“Liar” (U.S. #7)), Hoyt Axton (“Joy to the World”), Elton John and Bernie Taupin (“Lady Samantha” & “Your Song”), John Hiatt (“Sure As I’m Sittin’ Here” (U.S. #16)), and Leo Sayer (“The Show Must Go On” (U.S. #4)) were the first major hits for songs by these singer/songwriters. According to the commentary in the above-mentioned CD set, Elton John later credited their cover of “Your Song” with being a major factor in catapulting him to stardom. They also popularized songs by Harry Nilsson (“One” (U.S. #5)) and Paul Williams (“An Old Fashioned Love Song” (U.S. #4)).

Joe Schermie quit in 1973 and was replaced by Jack Ryland. The band then became an eight-piece with the induction of another keyboard player, Skip Konte. By 1976, Negron had become the principal vocalist, the streak of hit records had ended and a dissatisfied Hutton left the group. The group disbanded the following year, at least partly due to Negron’s drug addiction problem.

Never Been to Spain

Originally written by Hoyt Axton, and performed by numerous artists (including Elvis and most recently, the Hansons), Three Dog Night was the group that made it famous.

Well I never been to Spain
But I kinda like the music
Say the ladies are insane there
And they sure know how to use it
They don’t abuse it
Never gonna lose it
I can’t refuse it

Well I never been to England
But I kinda like the Beatles
Well, I headed for Las Vegas
Only made it out to Needles
Can you feel it
must be real it feels so good
Oh, feels so good

Well I never been to Heaven
But I been to Oklahoma
Well they tell me I was born there
But I really don’t remember
In Oklahoma, not Arizona
What does it matter
What does it matter

Whoa, I never been to Spain
But I kinda like the music
Say the ladies are insane there
And they sure know how to use it
They don’t abuse it
Never gonna lose it
I can’t refuse it

Well I never been to Heaven
But I been to Oklahoma
Well they tell me I was born there
But I really don’t remember
In Oklahoma, not Arizona
What does it matter
What does it matter

• Audio from the 1971 album,  Harmony:

Mama Told Me(Not To Come) ~ Three Dog Night  

Three Dog Night is an American rock band, best known for their music from 1968–1975 but still making live appearances as of 2008.

The band started with three lead vocalists — Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, and Cory Wells — who landed a recording contract with Dunhill Records in Los Angeles. They made some early recordings with Beach Boys producer, composer, vocalist, and instrumentalist Brian Wilson, and initially went by the name Redwood. Shortly after changing the band’s name, the vocalists hired a group of backing musicians — Michael Allsup on guitar, Floyd Sneed on drums, (Mickey McMeel on drums from 1973 to 1976), Joe Schermie (from the Cory Wells Blues Band) on bass, and Jimmy Greenspoon on keyboards — and soon became one of the most successful bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s Their band road manager was Thomas H. Eggleston.

Three Dog Night earned 13 gold albums and recorded 21 Billboard Top 40 hits, 7 of which went gold. Their first gold record was “Easy To Be Hard” (U.S. #4), from the musical Hair. They had three U.S. number one songs: “Mama Told Me Not to Come” (which was also their only Top 10 hit in the UK), “Joy to the World”, and “Black and White”. Dunhill Records claimed 40 million LP units sold by them during that time period.

Their covers of songs by Randy Newman (“Mama Told Me Not to Come”), Laura Nyro (“Eli’s Coming” (U.S. #10)), Russ Ballard of Argent (“Liar” (U.S. #7)), Hoyt Axton (“Joy to the World”), Elton John and Bernie Taupin (“Lady Samantha” & “Your Song”), John Hiatt (“Sure As I’m Sittin’ Here” (U.S. #16)), and Leo Sayer (“The Show Must Go On” (U.S. #4)) were the first major hits for songs by these singer/songwriters. According to the commentary in the above-mentioned CD set, Elton John later credited their cover of “Your Song” with being a major factor in catapulting him to stardom. They also popularized songs by Harry Nilsson (“One” (U.S. #5)) and Paul Williams (“An Old Fashioned Love Song” (U.S. #4)).

Joe Schermie quit in 1973 and was replaced by Jack Ryland. The band then became an eight-piece with the induction of another keyboard player, Skip Konte. By 1976, Negron had become the principal vocalist, the streak of hit records had ended and a dissatisfied Hutton left the group. The group disbanded the following year, at least partly due to Negron’s drug addiction problem.

Mama Told Me(Not To Come)

This was a cover of a Randy Newman song.

Want some whiskey in your water?
Sugar in your tea?
What’s all these crazy questions they’re askin’ me?
This is the craziest party that could ever be
Don’t turn on the lights ’cause I don’t wanna see

Mama told me not to come
Mama told me not to come
“That ain’t the way to have fun, no”

Open up the window, let some air into this room
I think I’m almost chokin’ from the smell of stale perfume
And that cigarette you’re smokin’ ’bout scare me half to death
Open up the window, sucker, let me catch my breath

Mama told me not to come
Mama told me not to come
“That ain’t the way to have fun, son”
“That ain’t the way to have fun, son”

The radio is blastin’, someone’s knockin’ at the door
I’m lookin’ at my girlfriend – she’s passed out on the floor
I seen so many things I ain’t never seen before
Don’t know what it is – I don’t wanna see no more

Mama told me not to come
Mama told me not to come
She said, “That ain’t the way to have fun, son”

“That ain’t the way to have fun, no”
KILL
“That ain’t the way to have fun, no”
“That ain’t the way to have fun, son”
“That ain’t the way to have fun, no”
“That ain’t the way to have fun, son”

“That ain’t the way to have fun, no”
“That ain’t the way to have fun, son”
“That ain’t the way to have fun, no”
“That ain’t the way to have fun, son”

One ~ Three Dog Night  

Here is a band from 1968 through 1975 that gave us over twenty-one solid hits, yet for some reason, all of the classic radio stations never play their music. Heck, even I forgot these guys, and I played every one of their songs and albums literally thousands of times in my years as a disk jockey.

Starting out as a three-man all vocalist band of Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron, and Cory Wells, they landed a recording contract with Dunhill Records by the name of Redwood.  They changed their name after Danny Hutton’s girl friend read a magazine article about eskimos who rated how cold the night was by the number of sled dogs you needed to sleep with.  (A variation of the story had it being Indigenous Australians and Dingos, but I got the actual story from Danny himself during a radio interiew)

Three Dog Night had 14 gold albums in their career, and are still performing on reunion tours even now.

I am going to post SEVERAL of their hits here.

Their first hit was a song called “One”, written by Harry Nilsson:

One

One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do
Two can be as bad as one
It’s the loneliest number since the number one

No is the saddest experience you’ll ever know
Yes, it’s the saddest experience you’ll ever know
`Cause one is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do
One is the loneliest number, worse than two

It’s just no good anymore since she went away
Now I spend my time just making rhymes of yesterday

One is the loneliest, number one is the loneliest
Number one is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do
One is the loneliest, one is the loneliest
One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do
It’s just no good anymore since she went away
(Number) One is the loneliest
(Number) One is the loneliest
(Number) One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do
(Number) One is the loneliest
(Number) One is the loneliest
(Number) One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do