Don't It Make You Want to Go Home?

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Don't It Make You Want to Go Home?
Don't It Make You Want to Go Home.jpg
Studio album by
Joe South
Released1969
Genre Country soul
Label Capitol
Producer Joe South
Joe South chronology
Games People Play
(1969)		Don't It Make You Want to Go Home?
(1969)		Greatest Hits
(1970)

Don't It Make You Want to Go Home? is the third album by the American musician Joe South, released in 1969. [1] [2] The title track and "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" were released as singles. [3] The album peaked at No. 60 on the Billboard 200. [4] It was reissued in 2004. [5]

Contents

Production

Recorded at his Atlanta home studio, the album was written and produced by South. [6] [7] South's brother Tommy played drums on the tracks. [8] The title track is about suburban sprawl in the Southern United States. [9] "A Million Miles Away" is an instrumental, aside from mixed-down voices. [10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]

The Plain Dealer said that South "is not only original, he is versatile, swinging from a poignant 'Bittersweet' to a gospelly rousing 'Shelter'". [12] The Cincinnati Enquirer stated that South "is articulate and totally honest." [13] The Sun opined, "The hip gospel of Joe South is beautiful and South is supremely talented." [14] The Sunday Express and News praised the "perspective and honesty" of the lyrics. [15] The Detroit Free Press called South "country-soul's most inventive spokesman". [16] The Chicago Sun-Times noted that the "lyrics are rough-hewn and ... take on more life than the most artfully contrived progressive pop pretentious profundities." [17] The Philadelphia Inquirer conceded that much of the material "is rather drab, but South's refreshing style—kind of sophisticated down-home—does more for the songs than they deserve." [18] The Los Angeles Times said that "some of the music is remarkably personal and effective." [19]

Track listing

Side 1

  1. "Clock Up on the Wall"
  2. "Bittersweet"
  3. "Shelter"
  4. "What Makes Lovers Hurt One Another?"
  5. "Before It's Too Late"

Side 2

  1. "Children"
  2. "Walk a Mile in My Shoes"
  3. "Be a Believer"
  4. "A Million Miles Away"
  5. "Don't It Make You Want to Go Home"

References

  1. ↑ Robinson, Richard (July 1970). "Platter Chatter". Hit Parader. Vol. 29, no. 72. p. 46.
  2. ↑ The New Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Fireside. 1995. p. 928.
  3. ↑ Lardine, Bob (January 2, 1970). "Platter Chatter". The Rockland County Journal-News. p. 31.
  4. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2001). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums, 1955-2001. Record Research. p. 819.
  5. ↑ Youngblood, Wayne (March 5, 2004). "Reissues". Goldmine. Vol. 30, no. 5. p. 45.
  6. ↑ Fiske, Charles (January 17, 1970). "Fiske's discs". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle. p. 3.
  7. ↑ Aronoff, Herb (January 31, 1970). "Pop Music". The Gazette. Montreal. p. 40.
  8. ↑ Fain, Nathan (April 19, 1970). "Pop". Spotlight. The Houston Post. p. 30.
  9. ↑ Cantwell, David; Friskics-Warren, Bill (2003). Heartaches by the Number: Country Music's 500 Greatest Singles. Vanderbilt University Press. p. 74.
  10. 1 2 "Don't It Make You Want to Go Home Review by Richie Unterberger". AllMusic. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
  11. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 630.
  12. ↑ "Disc-takes". PD Action Tab. The Plain Dealer. January 7, 1970. p. 21.
  13. ↑ Knippenberg, Jim (January 11, 1970). "Now Records". The Cincinnati Enquirer. p. 7K.
  14. ↑ Green, Tom (January 13, 1970). "Some Tasty Items Worth a Listen or Two". The Sun. p. A7.
  15. ↑ Duffield, Jeff (January 25, 1970). "Think and Blink at South's Music". Sunday Express and News. p. 13H.
  16. ↑ Talbert, Bob (January 25, 1970). "Record Reviews". Detroit Free Press. p. 11D.
  17. ↑ Rudis, Al (February 4, 1970). "Joe South's Best Album Is 'Superfine'". The Indianapolis News. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 51.
  18. ↑ Lloyd, Jack (February 8, 1970). "Spinning the Pops". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 5.7.
  19. ↑ Feather, Leonard (July 12, 1970). "Pop Album Briefs". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 31.
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