"China Grove" is a song by American rock band

the Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers are an American rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California, known for their flexibility in performing across numerous genres and their vocal harmonies. Active for five decades, with their greatest success in the 1970s, ...

, released in 1973 for their third studio album ''

The Captain and Me ''The Captain and Me'' is the third studio album by American rock band The Doobie Brothers. The album was released on March 2, 1973, by Warner Bros. Records. It features some of their most popular hits including "Long Train Runnin'", " China Gr ...

''. It was written and sung by original lead singer/songwriter Tom Johnston. The song reached number 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. While there is a real

China Grove, Texas China Grove is a town in Bexar County, Texas, United States, located on the far east side of San Antonio. The population was 1,141 at the 2020 census. It is part of the San Antonio Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography China Grove is about e ...

, a real

China Grove, North Carolina China Grove is a city in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,434 at the 2020 census. The city is located just north of Landis and south of Salisbury. It was one of the first towns in the United States to have Rural ...

and a real China Grove, Alabama, Johnston's lyrics about the community are fictional. The song spent eight weeks in the Top 40.

Composition and recording

In 2010, examination of the master recording tape for the track by recording engineer Chris Baseford revealed that, similar to most bands of the time, the band played together while tracking in the studio instead of overdubbing the instrumental elements. The production on the song was described as "pretty standard". Aside from the drums, panned slightly off center, additional percussion like a

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

and hand clapping overdubs were added. Baseford described the bass performance and sound on this song as "top notch" with

Tiran Porter Tiran Calvin Porter (born September 26, 1948) is an American bass and guitar player, vocalist and composer, best known as a member of The Doobie Brothers from 1972 to 1980 and 1987 to 1992. Biography Porter graduated from Leuzinger High School in ...

playing the melodic line using a pick and plugging directly into the mixing board. The song uses the Latin

clave rhythm The clave (; ) is a rhythmic pattern used as a tool for meter (music), temporal organization in Afro-Cuban music, Cuban music. In Spanish, ''clave'' literally means key, clef, code, or keystone. It is present in a variety of genres such as Abaku ...

Origins

Like many songs by Johnston, the music was composed and developed before the lyrics were written. It started with a guitar riff that he and drummer

John Hartman John Hartman (March 18, 1950 – September 22, 2022)Billy Payne William Porter Payne (born October 13, 1947) is the former chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, having served in that position from 2006 to 2017 and overseeing the introduction of the first women to the club's membership rolls. He was Managin ...

for the words because he played this wacky

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

that started the thinking process with this wacky sheriff, samurai swords, and all that." The song is based on a real small town in Texas. Johnston thought he had created a fictional town called "China Grove" near

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

and later learned it really exists from his cab driver in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. Johnston later explained that the band had been on tour passing through the town of China Grove on the way to or from San Antonio, and he had seen a road sign with the name, but somehow had forgotten about it.

Reception

''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Michael Gallucci rated "China Grove" as the Doobie Brothers' 5th greatest song, praising the guitar

riff A riff is a repeated chord progression or refrain in music (also known as an ostinato figure in classical music); it is a pattern, or melody, often played by the rhythm section instruments or solo instrument, that forms the basis or accompani ...

s and calling it "the group's toughest-sounding song." The staff of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' rated it as the Doobie Brothers' 4th best song, saying that the guitar riffs that begin the song are " the stuff of air guitar legend," and stating that "the 'sleepy little town' comes alive in clear detail."

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* (original studio version) * - from '' Rockin' down the Highway: The Wildlife Concert'' (1996) {{Authority control 1973 singles The Doobie Brothers songs Songs about Texas Songs written by Tom Johnston (musician) Song recordings produced by Ted Templeman Warner Records singles