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Whistling tunes that you know and love so
What’s That Song?
If you guessed Southern Nights by Glen Campbell, you are correct!
Today’s Bill Campbell What’s That Song, recorded and released by Glen Campbell in 1977, was written by and originally recorded in 1975 by Allen Toussaint. Southern Nights also titled Glen’s album and shot to the top of three separate U.S. charts.
Allen penned Southern Nights drawn from his childhood memories of visiting relatives in Louisiana. After hearing this version, Glen immediately identified with the lyrics reminding him of his own formative years growing up on an Arkansas farm. In October 1976, Campbell recorded the song with slightly modified lyrics.
Did you know…
- Southern Nights features a unique guitar lick Glen learned from Jerry Reed.
- Southern Nights was Glen’s second and last #1 pop hit topping Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart.
- Spending two weeks at the #1 spot on Billboard magazine’s Hot Country Singles chart would make Southern Nights Glen’s fifth and final #1 country hit.
- Southern Nights spent four weeks topping the Hot Adult Contemporary chart, Glen’s seventh hit on this chart.
Southern Nights
Southern nights
Have you ever felt a southern night
Free as a breeze
Not to mention the trees
Whistling tunes that you know and love so
Southern nights
Just as good even when closed your eyes
I apologize
To any one who can truly say
That he’s found a better way
Southern skies
Have you ever noticed
Southern skies
It’s precious beauty
Lies just beyond the eye
It goes running through the soul
Like the stories told of old
Old man
He and his dog that walk the old land
Every flower touched his cold hand
As he slowly walked by
Weeping willows would cry for joy
Joy
Feels so good
Feels so good it’s frightening
Wish I could
Stop this world from fighting
La-da-da-da-da, da-la-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da
Mystery
Like this and many others
In the trees
Blow in the night
In the southern skies
Southern nights
They feel so good it’s frightening
Wish I could
Stop this world from fighting
Da-da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da, la-da-da, da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da…
(Southern Nights lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc)
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What do you think about today’s What’s That Song? Tell us in the comment section.
