Travelin’ Man (Song)
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For other uses, see Travelling Man (disambiguation).
| “Travelin’ Man” | |
|---|---|
| |
| Single by Ricky Nelson | |
| from the album Rick Is 21 | |
| A-side | “Hello Mary Lou“ |
| Released | April 1961 |
| Genre | Pop doo-wop |
| Length | 2:24 |
| Label | Imperial Records #5741 |
| Songwriter(s) | Jerry Fuller |
| Producer(s) | Joe Johnson (Challenge Records) |
| Ricky Nelson singles chronology | |
| “You Are The Only One” (1960)”Travelin’ Man“ (1961)”A Wonder Like You” / “Everlovin’“ (1961) | |
“Travelin’ Man” is an American popular song, best known as a 1961 hit single sung by Ricky Nelson. Singer-songwriter Jerry Fuller wrote it with Sam Cooke in mind, but Cooke’s manager was unimpressed and did not keep the demo, which eventually wound up being passed along to Nelson. His version reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was released as a double A-side with “Hello Mary Lou“, which reached No. 9 on the same chart. In the United Kingdom, “Travelin’ Man”, coupled with “Hello Mary Lou”, reached No. 2, becoming Nelson’s biggest UK hit. Nelson is accompanied on the recording by the vocal quartet, The Jordanaires. Fans of the Seattle Supersonics probably remember the song being played at their team’s home games whenever a player from the visiting team committed a traveling violation, thus turning the ball back over to the Supersonics.
Plot
The song details the loves of a world traveler with an eye for beautiful women. Songwriter Fuller has described it as a “girl in every port” song. The women in each locale are referenced by a word or phrase associated with the location. The women were: a “pretty señorita” in Mexico, an Eskimo in Alaska, a fräulein in Berlin, a china doll in Hong Kong, and a Polynesian in Waikiki. There were others as well, “in every port … at least one,” mentioned obliquely during the opening verse.
The song was produced by Joe Johnson who was also famous for The Champs recording of “Tequila“. Joe was the owner of 4 Star Records and Challenge Records.
Chart history
Weekly charts
| Chart (1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 1 |
| Canada (CHUM Hit Parade) | 1 |
| New Zealand (Lever Hit Parade) | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1961) | Rank |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 23 |
| US Cash Box | 7 |
Covers
- Clover on Love on the Wire (1978).
- A cover was released by Jacky Ward in 1982, reaching #32 on the US country chart.
- Steve Reynolds
Uses in popular culture
Neil Sedaka acknowledged using a portion of the melody and chord progression of “Travelin’ Man” in his own song “Calendar Girl.”
Nelson’s version appears in a 2019 TV commercial for the Toyota Corolla hybrid.
In episode 5, season 4 of Stranger Things, Nelson’s version is heard during Yuri’s takeoff from the Yuri’s Fish And Fly.
In episode 8, season 3 of , Hank sings this song while shaving in the bathroom, before being interrupted by Bobby.
Rick Is 21 (Album)
| Rick Is 21 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Studio album by Rick Nelson | |
| Released | May 8, 1961 |
| Recorded | 1960−61 |
| Studio | United Western (Hollywood, California) |
| Genre | Rock and rollrockabilly |
| Length | 27:41 |
| Label | Imperial |
| Producer | Charles “Bud” Dant |
| Rick Nelson chronology | |
| More Songs by Ricky (1960)Rick Is 21 (1961)Album Seven by Rick (1962) | |
| Singles from Rick Is 21 | |
| “Travelin’ Man” b/w “Hello Mary Lou“ Released: April 1961 | |
Rick Is 21 is the sixth studio album by rock and roll and pop idol Rick Nelson, and was released on May 8, 1961, by Imperial Records. The album was almost entirely recorded in Los Angeles, California, United States at the famous United Western Recorders studios from February to April, 1961. it features songs by Dorsey Burnette, Jerry Fuller, and Dave Burgess. Only one song was recorded at Master Recorders studios in Hollywood, California, United States. That song was: Do You Know What it Means To Miss New Orleans recorded in February, 1960. The album was the first to credit his first name as “Rick”; previous albums were credited to Ricky Nelson. Jimmie Haskell was the arranger and Charles “Bud” Dant was the producer.
The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the issue dated May 29, 1961, and remained on the chart for 49 weeks, peaking at number eight. It reached number six on the Cashbox albums chart where stayed there for 45 weeks. Successful singles from the album include “Travelin’ Man” and “Hello Mary Lou“
“Travelin’ Man,” made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on April 24, 1961, eventually spending two weeks at number one during its 14-week stay. on the Cashbox singles weeks it spent three weeks at number one during its 18-week stay. and number two in The U.K during its 18-weeks stay. Its B-side, “Hello Mary Lou” reached number nine on the Hot 100 during its 15-weeks stay, number two in The U.K during its 18-weeks stay. and number nine on the Cashbox single charts during its 16-weeks stay.
The album was released on compact disc by Capitol Records on June 19, 2001, as tracks 19 through 30 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 1 through 12 consisting of Nelson’s 1960 album, More Songs by Ricky. In 2001, Bear Family included the album in The American Dream box set.[10] Rick is 21 was included in a box set entitled Four Classic Albums Plus Box Set, which contains all 4 of his studio albums, and was released on July 1, 2016.
Reception
Professional ratings
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| New Record Mirror | 4/5 |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
William Ruhlmann of AllMusic said that Nelson “returned to a modified rock sound, bringing in new writers like Jerry Fuller and Gene Pitney, and coming up with a streamlined pop/rock approach but the rest of the album is guitar rock arrangements of songs written by old hand Dorsey Burnette (“My One Desire”), contributing the excellent rocker “Break My Chain” (complete with a terrific James Burton guitar solo), but the overall quality of the material is high, and Nelson’s band plays it well.[1]
Billboard magazine described the album as “a tribute to his reaching his majority”
Cashbox wrote “it features a fine teen oriented treatments of ‘Stars Fell On Alabama,’ [and] ‘That Warm Summer Night’.
Jimmy Watson of New Record Mirror described the album as “entertaining”.
Track listing
- “My One Desire” (Dorsey Burnette) – 2:14
- “That Warm Summer Night” (Jerry Fuller) – 2:11
- “Break My Chain” (Jerry Fuller) – 1:53
- “Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?” (Louis Alter, Eddie DeLange) – 2:32
- “I’ll Make Believe” (Johnny Rivers) – 2:18
- “Travelin’ Man” (Jerry Fuller) – 2:12
- “Oh Yeah, I’m in Love” (Gregory Carroll, Doris Payne) – 2:08
- “Everybody But Me” (Dave Burgess) – 2:11
- “Lucky Star” (Dave Burgess) – 2:17
- “Sure Fire Bet” (Gene Pitney) –2:07
- “Stars Fell on Alabama” (Mitchell Parish, Frank Perkins) – 2:34
- “Hello Mary Lou” (Gene Pitney) – 2:17
Charts
Album
Singles
| Year | Title | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. Cashbox | UK Singles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | “Hello Mary Lou“ | 9 | 9 | 2 |
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