Detroit City

For the racehorse, see Detroit City (horse).

"Detroit City"
Single by Bobby Bare
from the album Detroit City and Other Hits
Released	May 1963 (U.S.)
Format	7"
Recorded	April 18, 1963 Nashville, Tennessee
Genre	Country
Length	2:47
Label	RCA Records 47-8183
Writer(s)	Danny Dill and Mel Tillis
Bobby Bare singles chronology
"Shame on Me" (1962) "Detroit City" (1963) "500 Miles Away From Home" (1963)

"Detroit City" is a song made famous by country music singer Bobby Bare. Originally released in 1963, the song — sometimes known as "I Wanna Go Home" (from the opening line to the refrain) — was Bare's first Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that summer, and became a country music standard.

About the song

Prior to Bare's success with "Detroit City," country singer Billy Grammer released his version of the Danny Dill-Mel Tillis penned song.^[1] His version was known as "I Wanna Go Home" and peaked at #18 on the Billboard country charts in 1963.

The song is the working man's complaint, and "with its melody reminiscent of the 'Sloop John B,' describes the alienation felt by many rural southerners in the mid North," wrote country music historian Bill Malone. "Here, [Bare's] earnest and planative interpretation lends great believability to this mournful song."^[2] Bare's version begins in the key of E, until after the repeat of the refrain, he makes a transition to the key of B for the second verse and Refrain. He makes a transition back to the key of E as the song fades out. Bare's version also features a spoken recitation following half of the second verse, before singing the refrain before the song's fade.

The song's peak in popularity during the summer of 1963 came during a time when Tillis was still experiencing most of his success as a songwriter. He had previously written hits for Webb Pierce, Brenda Lee, Stonewall Jackson and others, but this was one of his earliest major hits as a songwriter outside of those artists.

The song won Bobby Bare a Grammy for the Best Country & Western Recording in 1963.^[3]

In 1967 the song was covered by Tom Jones, who had a UK Top 10 hit with it.^[4] The Jones version features Bare's spoken Recitation as well.

The Swedish singer Gunnar Wiklund recorded the song in Swedish, calling it "Nu Reser Jag Hem" (I'm Going Home Now).

Chart performance

Grammer's "I Wanna Go Home" reached No. 18 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in early 1963. That summer, Bare's re-titled version peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard country chart (it spent total of 18 weeks on this chart) and No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[5]

Billy Grammer

Chart (1963)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	18

Bobby Bare

Chart (1963)	Peak position
Australian Kent Music Report	93
Danish Singles Chart	7
German Singles Chart	40
Norwegian Singles Chart	1
Swedish Singles Chart	1
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	4
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	6
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	16

Tom Jones

Chart (1967)	Peak position
U.K. Singles Chart	8
Austrian Top 40	14
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	27
German Singles Chart	35

References and sources

References

1. ^ "BMI repertoire search". BMI. http://repertoire.bmi.com/title.asp?blnWriter=True&blnPublisher=True&blnArtist=True&page=1&keyid=297541&ShowNbr=0&ShowSeqNbr=0&querytype=WorkID. Retrieved 2010-12-04. 
2. ^ Malone, Bill, "Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection" ((booklet included with Classic Country Music: A Smithsonian Collection 4-disc set). Smithsonian Institution, 1990).
3. ^ "Bobby Bare's Grammy history". Grammy Award. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bobby-bare-p1519/charts-awards/grammy-awards. Retrieved 2010-12-04. 
4. ^ "UK charts archive". chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=4363. Retrieved 2010-12-04. 
5. ^ "Bobby Bare's Billboard chart history". billboard. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bobby-bare-p1519/charts-awards/billboard-singles. Retrieved 2010-12-04. 

Sources

• Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.
• Whitburn, Joel, "Top Pop Singles: 1955-2006," 2007.