Drag City (song)
| "Drag City" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jan and Dean | ||||
| from the album Drag City | ||||
| B-side | "Schlock Rod" (Part 1) | |||
| Released | November 8, 1963[1] | |||
| Recorded | October 1963 | |||
| Genre | Car song[2] | |||
| Length | 2:34 | |||
| Label | Liberty Records | |||
| Songwriters | Jan Berry, Roger Christian, Brian Wilson | |||
| Producers | Jan Berry for Screen Gems, Inc. | |||
| Jan and Dean singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Drag City" is a 1963 song by Jan and Dean, written by Jan Berry, Roger Christian, and Brian Wilson.[3] It describes the narrator's trip to a drag racing strip and borrows heavily from an earlier Jan and Dean song "Surf City," also co-written by Berry and Wilson.
Release
"Drag City" was released as the title track from the album of the same name. It was the first of the duo's seven hit songs in 1964, and charted in the top ten in January.[3]
Jan and Dean performed the song on the eighth episode of the TV series Redigo, "Papa-San", which aired on November 12, 1963. The song was re-recorded for the episode.[4]
Personnel
Known musicians on the session included:
- Brian Wilson - backing vocals[5]
- Earl Palmer - drums[6]
Chart performance
| Chart (1963–64) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[7] | 34 |
| Canada CHUM Chart[8] | 13 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 10 |
References
- ↑ Moore 2016, p. 134.
- ↑ Hoffmann, Frank W.; Bailey, William G. (1990). Arts & Entertainment Fads, Volume 1. Binghamton: Haworth Press. pp. 61–62. ISBN 9780866568814.
- 1 2 Ruhlmann, William. "Drag City". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
- ↑ Moore 2016, p. 135.
- ↑ Moore 2016, p. 141.
- ↑ Scherman, Tony, Backbeat: The Earl Palmer Story, foreword by Wynton Marsalis, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C., 1999 p. 176
- ↑ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book (1940–1969). Turramurra: Australian Chart Book. p. 91. ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
- ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade - January 27, 1964".
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 425.
Sources
- Moore, Mark A. (2016). The Jan & Dean Record: A Chronology of Studio Sessions, Live Performances and Chart Positions. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-9812-3.