The Wanderer (Dion song) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The Wanderer Single by Dion from the album Runaround Sue B-side The Majestic Released November 1961 Genre Rock and roll Length 2:51 Label Laurie Records 3115 Writer(s) Ernie Maresca Producer(s) Gene Schwartz Dion singles chronology Runaround Sue (1961) The Wanderer (1961) Lovers Who Wander (1962) The Wanderer is a song written by Ernie Maresca and originally recorded by Dion. The song, with a 12-bar blues-base verse and an eight-bar bridge, tells the story of a travelling man and his many loves. The song is ranked #239 on the Rolling Stone magazines list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Contents 1 History 2 Cover versions 3 Chart positions 3.1 Dion 3.2 Eddie Rabbitt History Maresca had co-written Dions previous # 1 hit, Runaround Sue, but originally intended The Wanderer to be recorded by another group, Nino and the Ebbtides. They passed on it in favour of another Maresca song, so Dion was given it as the B-side of his follow-up single, The Majestic, a song which his record company had chosen for him. The record was turned over by radio DJs who preferred The Wanderer, which duly entered the US charts in December 1961 and rose to # 2 in early 1962. It also reached # 10 in the UK and # 1 in Australia. The song was recorded with an uncredited background vocal group, the Del-Satins, in a rockier style than Dions earlier hits with the Belmonts. The Del-Satins were an established doowop group led by Stan Ziska (later known as Stan Sommers), who at the time were also contracted to Laurie Records, and who later formed the core of Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge. Musicians on the original recording included Bobby Gregg, Bucky Pizarelli and Johnny Falbo on guitars, Jerome Richardson on alto sax, Buddy Lucas on tenor sax, and Panama Francis and Sticks Evans on drums. Dion said of The Wanderer: At its roots, its more than meets the eye. The Wanderer is black music filtered through an Italian neighborhood that comes out with an attitude. Its my perception of a lot of songs like Im A Man by Bo Diddley or Hoochie Coochie Man by Muddy Waters. But you know, The Wanderer is really a sad song. A lot of guys dont understand that. Bruce Springsteen was the only guy who accurately expressed what that song was about. Its I roam from town to town and go through life without a care, Im as happy as a clown with my two fists of iron, but Im going nowhere. In the fifties, you didnt get that dark. It sounds like a lot of fun but its about going nowhere. However, on Marescas original demo of the song, the lyrics were with my two fists of iron and my bottle of beer, and the change to with my two fists of iron but Im going nowhere in fact seems to have been at the record companys insistence. Today, The Wanderer is part of the Mijac publishing catalog. Cover versions The Wanderer Single by Eddie Rabbitt from the album I Wanna Dance with You B-side Workin Out Released April 1988 Format 7 Recorded December 1987 Genre Country Length 3:22 Label RCA Nashville Writer(s) Ernie Maresca Producer(s) Richard Landis Eddie Rabbitt singles chronology I Wanna Dance with You (1988) The Wanderer (1988) We Must Be Doin Somethin Right (1988) The Wanderer has been covered by many other popular singers and bands, including Status Quo, Dee Snider, Gary Glitter, The Beach Boys, Leif Garrett, Arthur Alexander, Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Rabbitt, Sick City Daggers, Delbert McClinton, Ted Chippington, Dave Edmunds, The Alley Cats, Avenue D, punk rock pioneers The Heimlich Experiment, by My Morning Jacket at Madison Square Garden on 31 December 2008 and more recently by Laurence Collyer/The Diamond Family Archive. Status Quo covered the song twice, once as a complete version, and once again as part of their Anniversary Waltz, Pt. 1. Status Quos version was a #7 hit in the U.K. in 1984, and Rabbitts version was a Number One hit on Billboards Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart in mid-1988. Mel Gibson sings a version in the animation movie Chicken Run. The Portuguese version by Renato e Seus Blue Caps & Erasmo Carlos was a huge hit in Brazil in the 1960s, changing the title to O Lobo Mau (which translates as The Big Bad Wolf). The Big Bad Wolf in the Portuguese lyrics is somewhat like the wanderer, riding in his car and getting all the girls. Another cover version can be found on Kidsongs video and DVD, A Day with the Animals. In addition, the song is played before all Bolton Wanderers and Western Sydney Wanderers home matches. In Brian Azzarellos Watchmen prequel comic Comedian, The Wanderer is featured twice, in small but pivotal scenes. In the Showcase series Lost Girl, the song features prominently and repeatedly in seasons 3 and 4 as a callout to a character referred to by the same name, including an arrangement performed by merry-go-round instrumentation. Chart positions Dion Chart (1961) Peak Position U.S. Billboard Hot 100 2 Eddie Rabbitt Chart (1988) Peak Position U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles 1 Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1 Preceded by The Bluest Eyes in Texas by Restless Heart Billboard Hot Country Singles number-one single August 27, 1988 Succeeded by I Couldnt Leave You If I Tried by Rodney Crowell Preceded by Dont We All Have the Right by Ricky Van Shelton RPM Country Tracks number-one single August 13-August 20, 1988 Succeeded by Give a Little Love by The Judds
Posted on: Thu, 22 Jan 2015 12:58:36 +0000
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