Today’s classic song of the day is another Paul Williams-penned tune, “Out in the Country.” Mr. Williams co-wrote this one with his frequent collaborator Roger Nichols, and the group Three Dog Night released it as a single in August of 1970. It was a big hit for the group, peaking at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, #9 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #11 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart.
“Out in the Country” is a mellow little tune about the environment and about needing a place to get away:
Before the breathin’ air is gone
Before the sun is just a bright spot in the night-time
Out where the rivers like to run
I stand alone and take back somethin’ worth rememberin’
Whenever I feel them closing in on me
Or need a bit of room to move
When life becomes too fast, I find relief at last
Out in the country
Three Dog Night was a genuine hit-making monster back in the late ’60s/early ’70s. Even those of us who were around at the time might not remember that the group had a grand total of 18 top twenty hits between 1969 and 1974—that’s an average of three big hits a year, including three number ones (“Mama Told Me Not to Come,” “Joy to the World,” and “Black and White”). Vocal duties were shared between three lead singers: Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. Interestingly, the group didn’t write any of their own material, instead relying on contributions from the top songwriters of the day, including Misters Williams and Nichols.
“Out in the Country” was the first big hit for Williams and Nichols, who’d only written B-sides and album cuts previously. Mr. Williams would go on to write two more hit tunes for Three Dog Night (“An Old Fashioned Love Song” and “The Family of Man”) and numerous hits for the Carpenters, Helen Reddy, Barbra Streisand, and other artists. He also wrote, with Kenny Ascher, one of my favorite songs of all time, “The Rainbow Connection,” for The Muppet Movie. It is our good fortune that Paul Williams is still active today, age 84, as is Roger Nichols, also 84. They are two songwriting legends.
