"Joy to the World" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Three Dog Night | ||||
from the album Naturally | ||||
B-side | "I Can Hear You Calling" | |||
Released | February 1971 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1970 | |||
Studio | American Recording Co. | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:40 (album) 3:17 (single) | |||
Label | Dunhill | |||
Songwriter(s) | Hoyt Axton | |||
Producer(s) | Richard Podolor [1] | |||
Three Dog Night singles chronology | ||||
|
"Joy to the World" is a song written by Hoyt Axton and made famous by the band Three Dog Night. The song is also popularly known by its opening lyric, "Jeremiah was a bullfrog". Three Dog Night originally released the song on their fourth studio album, Naturally , in November 1970, and subsequently released an edited version of the song as a single in February 1971. [1]
The song, which has been described by members of Three Dog Night as a "kid's song" and a "silly song", [4] topped the singles charts in North America, was certified gold by the RIAA, and has since been covered by multiple artists.
Some of the words are nonsensical. Axton wanted to persuade his record producers to record a new melody he had written, and the producers asked him to sing any words to the tune. A member of Three Dog Night said that the original lyrics to the song were "Jeremiah was a prophet" but no one liked it. [5] [6]
When Hoyt Axton performed the song to the group, two of the three main vocalists – Danny Hutton and Cory Wells – rejected the song, but Chuck Negron felt that the band needed a "silly song" to help bring the band back together as a working unit. Negron also felt that the song "wasn't even close to our best record, but it might have been one of our most honest." [4]
The song was recorded by Three Dog Night at American Recording Company, produced by Richard Podolor, and engineered by Bill Cooper. [1] Unlike most Three Dog Night songs recorded at that point, instead of having just the three main vocalists singing harmony, the song was recorded with all seven members of the band singing. [4] Drummer Floyd Sneed sings the low-pitched lyric "I wanna tell you" towards the end of the song.
When the song hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1971, Axton and his mother, Mae Axton, became the first mother and son to each have written a number one pop single in the rock era. Mae Axton co-wrote "Heartbreak Hotel", which was the first number one hit for Elvis Presley.
In a 1994 case, David P. Jackson filed suit [7] claiming co-authorship of the song and alleging that Axton fraudulently claimed sole authorship. In the suit, Jackson claimed that Axton regularly credited him with co-authorship. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in favor of Axton. Axton's lawyers included entertainment litigator Jeffrey D. Goldman.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
All-time charts
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The single had been out less than two months, when on April 9, 1971, "Joy to the World" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, for shipments of over one million units across the United States. [21] The record was also given a Gold Leaf award by RPM magazine for sales of over a million units. [22] The record won the award for the Best Selling Hit Single Record by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers in March 1972. [23] It was also ranked by Billboard magazine as the #1 pop single of 1971. [24] The song was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo Or Group during the 14th Grammy Awards.
The single went on to sell 5 million copies worldwide. [25]
Axton subsequently recorded his own version of the song for his album Joy to the World (1971). Little Richard recorded a cover of the song for his 1971 album, The King of Rock and Roll , with a lengthy spoken intro and outro in the style of Black sermonic tradition preaching. The song has also been covered by Conway Twitty, Lynn Anderson, Anita Bryant, and others.
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [26] | Gold | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
This section may be too long to read and navigate comfortably.(July 2024) |
This section needs additional citations for verification .(July 2024) |
Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, founded by vocalists Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sneed (drums). The band had 21 Billboard Top 40 hits between 1969 and 1975, with three hitting number one. Three Dog Night recorded many songs written by outside songwriters, and they helped to introduce mainstream audiences to writers such as Randy Newman, Paul Williams, Laura Nyro and Hoyt Axton.
Hoyt Wayne Axton was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voice. Among his best-known songs are "Joy to the World", "The Pusher", "No No Song", "Greenback Dollar", "Della and the Dealer" and "Never Been to Spain".
Suitable for Framing is the second studio album by American rock band Three Dog Night. The album was released on the Dunhill record label on June 11, 1969 and was the first of two albums released by the band that year.
Naturally is the fifth album by American rock band Three Dog Night, released in 1970. It produced two top ten hits: "Joy to the World" and "Liar" (#7). "One Man Band" reached the top 20 (#19). The only original by the band is the instrumental "Fire Eater".
Harmony is the seventh album by American rock band Three Dog Night, released in 1971. The album featured two Top 10 hits: "An Old Fashioned Love Song" and a cover version of Hoyt Axton's "Never Been to Spain".
Joy to the World: Their Greatest Hits is the twelfth album by American rock band, Three Dog Night, released in 1974.
American Pastime is the fourteenth and final album by American rock band Three Dog Night, released in 1976.
"Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by the Jackson 5. The song was originally written and intended for the Supremes; however, Motown decided it would be better for the Jackson 5. It was the first single released from the group's 1971 album Maybe Tomorrow, and was one of the group's most successful records. It has been covered numerous times, most notably in 1974 by Gloria Gaynor and in 1987 by British pop group the Communards.
"Ruby Tuesday" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones, released in January 1967. The song became the band's fourth number-one hit in the United States and reached number three in the United Kingdom as a double A-side with "Let's Spend the Night Together". The song was included in the American version of Between the Buttons.
"December, 1963 " is a song originally performed by the Four Seasons, written by original Four Seasons keyboard player Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker, produced by Gaudio, and included on the group's album Who Loves You (1975).
Daniel Anthony Hutton is an Irish-American singer, best known as one of the three lead vocalists in the band Three Dog Night. Hutton was a songwriter and singer for Hanna-Barbera Records from 1965 to 1966. Hutton had a modest national hit, "Roses and Rainbows", during his tenure as a recording artist for Hanna-Barbera Records. Hutton is the father of two sons, Dash Hutton, the former drummer in the American rock band Haim and Timothy V. Hutton, a bassist and producer. The sons co-own a recording studio called The Canyon Hut.
"Put Your Hand in the Hand" is a gospel pop song composed by Gene MacLellan and first recorded by Canadian singer Anne Murray from her third studio album Honey, Wheat and Laughter.
"Soul Man" is a 1967 song written and composed by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, first successful as a number 2 hit single by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave, which consisted of Samuel "Sam" Moore and David "Dave" Prater. In 2019, "Soul Man" was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress. It was No. 463 in "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" by Rolling Stone in 2010 and No. 458 in 2004.
"Muskrat Love" is a soft rock song written by Willis Alan Ramsey. The song depicts a romantic liaison between two anthropomorphic muskrats named Susie and Sam. It was first recorded in 1972 by Ramsey for his sole album release Willis Alan Ramsey. The song was originally titled "Muskrat Candlelight" referencing the song's opening lyric.
"An Old Fashioned Love Song" is a 1971 song written by Paul Williams and performed by the American pop-rock band Three Dog Night. Chuck Negron performed the lead vocal on this track. Taken as the first single from their 1971 album, Harmony, the song peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1971, becoming the band's seventh top-ten hit. It was Three Dog Night's first record to top the U.S. easy listening chart. It reached number 2 in Canada.
Three Dog Night's original recordings were released by ABC Dunhill Records, except for 1983's It's a Jungle, which was released by Passport. In the mid-1970s, executives at ABC Dunhill discarded their multi-track recordings and mono masters to save storage space in a cost-cutting measure. As a result, all re-issues on CD were remastered using album masters.
"Danny's Song" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins, as a gift for his brother Danny for the birth of his son, Colin. It first appeared on an album by Gator Creek and a year later on the album Sittin' In, the debut album by Loggins and Messina. The song is well remembered for both the Loggins and Messina original, as well as for Anne Murray's 1972 top-ten-charting cover.
"Never Been to Spain" is a song written by Hoyt Axton, originally released on his 1971 LP Joy to the World and later that year performed by Three Dog Night, with Cory Wells on lead vocal. It was featured on their 1971 album Harmony. The recording was produced by Richard Podolor.
"Liar" is a song written by Russ Ballard of Argent from their 1970 self-titled debut album. It was released as the band's first single, but did not chart.
"Ooh Poo Pah Doo" is a song written and performed by Jessie Hill. It was arranged and produced by Allen Toussaint. The single reached No. 3 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 28 on the Hot 100 in 1960.
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