Detroit City
Encyclopedia
"Detroit City" is a song made famous by country music
singer Bobby Bare
. Originally released in 1963, the song — sometimes known as "I Wanna Go Home" (from the opening line to the refrain) — was Bare's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that summer, and became a country music standard.
released his version of the Danny Dill
-Mel Tillis
penned song. His version was known as "I Wanna Go Home" and peaked at #18 on the Billboard country charts
in 1963.
The song is the working man's complaint, and "with its melody reminiscent of the 'Sloop John B
,' describes the alienation felt by many rural southerners in the mid North," wrote country music historian Bill Malone. "Here, [Bare's] earnest and planative interpretation lends great believability to this mournful song." Bare's version begins in the key of E, until after the repeat of the refrain, he makes a transition to the key of B for the second verse and Refrain. He makes a transition back to the key of E as the song fades out. Bare's version also features a spoken recitation following half of the second verse, before singing the refrain before the song's fade.
The song's peak in popularity during the summer of 1963 came during a time when Tillis was still experiencing most of his success as a songwriter. He had previously written hits for Webb Pierce
, Brenda Lee
, Stonewall Jackson
and others, but this was one of his earliest major hits as a songwriter outside of those artists.
The song won Bobby Bare a Grammy for the Best Country & Western Recording in 1963.
In 1967 the song was covered by Tom Jones
, who had a UK Top 10 hit with it. The Jones version features Bare's spoken Recitation as well.
The Swedish singer Gunnar Wiklund recorded the song in Swedish, calling it "Nu Reser Jag Hem" (I'm Going Home Now).
.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Bobby Bare
Bobby Bare
Robert Joseph Bare is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is the father of Bobby Bare, Jr., also a musician.-Early career:...
. Originally released in 1963, the song — sometimes known as "I Wanna Go Home" (from the opening line to the refrain) — was Bare's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that summer, and became a country music standard.
About the song
Prior to Bare's success with "Detroit City," country singer Billy GrammerBilly Grammer
Billy Wayne Grammer was an American country music singer and noted guitar player. He was known for the million-selling "Gotta Travel On", which made it onto both the country and pop music charts in 1959.-Biography:...
released his version of the Danny Dill
Danny Dill
Horace Eldred Dill , known professionally known as Danny Dill, was an American country music singer and songwriter...
-Mel Tillis
Mel Tillis
Lonnie Melvin Tillis , known professionally as Mel Tillis, is an American country music singer. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s, with a long list of Top 10 hits....
penned song. His version was known as "I Wanna Go Home" and peaked at #18 on the Billboard country charts
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
in 1963.
The song is the working man's complaint, and "with its melody reminiscent of the 'Sloop John B
Sloop John B
"Sloop John B" is the seventh track on The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album and was also a single which was released in 1966 on Capitol Records. It was originally a traditional West Indies folk song, "The John B. Sails," taken from a collection by Carl Sandburg . Alan Lomax made a field recording of...
,' describes the alienation felt by many rural southerners in the mid North," wrote country music historian Bill Malone. "Here, [Bare's] earnest and planative interpretation lends great believability to this mournful song." Bare's version begins in the key of E, until after the repeat of the refrain, he makes a transition to the key of B for the second verse and Refrain. He makes a transition back to the key of E as the song fades out. Bare's version also features a spoken recitation following half of the second verse, before singing the refrain before the song's fade.
The song's peak in popularity during the summer of 1963 came during a time when Tillis was still experiencing most of his success as a songwriter. He had previously written hits for Webb Pierce
Webb Pierce
Webb Michael Pierce was one of the most popular American honky tonk vocalists of the 1950s, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the decade. His biggest hit was "In The Jailhouse Now," which charted for 37 weeks in 1955, 21 of them at number one...
, Brenda Lee
Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley , known as Brenda Lee, is an American performer who sang rockabilly, pop and country music, and had 37 US chart hits during the 1960s, a number surpassed only by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Ray Charles and Connie Francis...
, Stonewall Jackson
Stonewall Jackson (musician)
Stonewall Jackson is an American country singer and musician who achieved his greatest fame during country's "golden" honky tonk era in the 1950s and early 1960s.-Early years:...
and others, but this was one of his earliest major hits as a songwriter outside of those artists.
The song won Bobby Bare a Grammy for the Best Country & Western Recording in 1963.
In 1967 the song was covered by Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, who had a UK Top 10 hit with it. The Jones version features Bare's spoken Recitation as well.
The Swedish singer Gunnar Wiklund recorded the song in Swedish, calling it "Nu Reser Jag Hem" (I'm Going Home Now).
Chart performance
Grammer's "I Wanna Go Home" reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in early 1963. That summer, Bare's re-titled version peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard country chart (it spent total of 18 weeks on this chart) and No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
Billy Grammer
| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 18 |
Bobby Bare
| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Kent Music Report | 93 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 7 |
| German Singles Chart | 40 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 16 |
Tom Jones
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.K. Singles Chart | 8 |
| Austrian Top 40 | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 27 |
| German Singles Chart | 35 |
Sources
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Pop Singles: 1955-2006," 2007.