This composition was written by Joe South and was first released by US artist Billy Joe Royal as his debut single. In 1965, it was a real hit. It reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the English Record Retailer chart, he is located at number 38. In the Canadian RPM rating (dated August 9, 1965), the song went to the leading first position.
The history of the creation of the song The Boondocks Theme
In the summer of 1965, “The Boondocks Theme” launched the career of Billy Joe Royal, who released it a year earlier. She was in the -40 rating. The songwriter, Joe South, has long been friends with Royal and has been in a long-term partnership with him. South played guitar for Royal (from the time the fourteen-year-old performer performed on the dance floors), and from 1961 South produced demo versions and low-budget compositions of Royal. It was reported that Royal’s recording of this song was being prepared for use as a demo to present the composition to Gene Pitney. Bill Lowry, South’s music publisher and Royal’s entrepreneur, was so inspired by The Boondocks Theme’s broadcast that he decided to launch it on a reputable label.
Royal himself objected to Pitney’s transfer of the composition. He said: “We were not going to give it to him at all … Our plans included only her performance under Gene Pitney.”
The single was recorded for four hours at the Gearhart Building, a refurbished school building in Buckhead where Bill Lowry was headquartered, with the school auditorium provided for recording. Billy Joe Royal said: “We reduced the work on a three-track machine – it turned out to be the most primitive thing in the world. It’s strange that she even sounded on the record. We put the microphone in one place, and the recording was passed through it to get the echo effect.
The musicians invited for the session were Reggie Young (electric guitar), Bill Hallett (acoustic guitar), Sam Levin (horns), Clayton Ivey (piano), Bob Ray (six-string bass), Greg Morrow (drums, rhythm guitar/backing vocals). The sound recording also featured a kind of torch composition “I Knew You When”, plus several covers of popular hits.
Bill Lowry, having foreseen wonderful opportunities in promoting the composition, personally went to Los Angeles to show the single to reputable labels: after the departure of Warner Bros. and Capitol Records Columbia Records launched this single.
“The Boondocks Theme” made a name for itself at the WCPO in Cincinnati, where Royal was to live for two years. South then called him and brought him back to Atlanta. Billy Joe Royal said: “Overnight, the single blew up the Cincinnati charts when I was playing juice-hop with local DJs. Then the composition became widely popular in Savannah, where Royal spent two years leading the club life at the Bamboo Ranch pub.
The song peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 (August 28, 1965). An article appeared in RPM magazine that the song also captivated Canadians, taking the leading position in their rating. “The Boondocks Theme” also reached number 10 on the Australian Singles Chart. Royal went to London for three days to promote the song (in September 1965), but “The Boondocks Theme” failed to top the UK Singles Chart, stuck at number 38.
Meaning of the song The Boondocks Theme
In the song, the story is told from the perspective of a “boy from the outback”. He sings about a girl living nearby who he likes. He sometimes runs away with her away from everyone. It is assumed that people from the wilderness belong to a lower class than those living in the city. The boy is thwarted by social divisions that prevent him from reuniting with his lover. He cannot openly declare his love for her to everyone, because her dad is the boss. But the girl loves this boy. The singer dreams that “one day he will still be able to move out of the old shack” in order to take the opportunity to join high society and live openly with a girl.
This song is a kind of anthem, glorifying individuality and the power of self-expression. A person seeks to stand out and go against the norm, rejecting the generally accepted restrictions of society. He inspires others, encouraging them to free themselves from mold and live their own passions. The song also touches on the idea of self-empowerment. The singer encourages listeners to take responsibility too, use their ideas and creativity to light their own path, and have the confidence to follow their own path.
