"Houston" is a song written by

Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s ...

and first recorded in 1964 by

Sanford Clark Sanford Clark (October 24, 1935 – July 4, 2021) was an American country-rockabilly singer and guitarist, best known for his 1956 hit " The Fool". Biography Clark was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was raised in Phoenix, Arizona, from the age of ...

Background

The lyrics are from the perspective on a down-on-his-luck drifter who describes himself as "a walkin' case of the blues". The verses describe his many misfortunes ("I found a dollar yesterday, but the wind blew it away"), each ending with the repeated refrain "Going back to Houston, Houston, Houston ...". The mood lightens on the final verse when the narrator reveals that despite his woes, he has a girlfriend waiting for him in the titular city. However, the narrator clarifies this by saying "at least, she said she'd be". Musically, the song is orchestrated

country pop Country pop (also known as pop country or urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres ...

with a medium tempo and strolling rhythm, with a brief

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

solo. Sources differ as to how the distinctive percussive sound at the beginning and end of the song was created.

Dean Martin recording

"Houston" was a hit in 1965 when recorded by

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor and comedian. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

. Dean Martin's daughter,

Deana Martin Deana Martin is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer Dean Martin. Film and television Martin was born in Manhattan to Dean Martin and his first wife, Elizabeth Anne "Betty" McDonald. She moved to Beverly Hills, Californ ...

, has recounted her father telling her that the percussive sound was created by tapping an empty Coca-Cola bottle with a spoon, while

Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...

once stated that he created the sound by tapping a glass ash tray with a

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three Edge (geometry), edges and three Vertex (geometry), vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, an ...

wand.

Chart performance

Martin's version spent 9 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 21, while reaching No. 2 on ''

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 ...

''s

Easy Listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

chart, and No. 11 on

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

's CHUM Hit Parade. Chart No. 445. CHUM.

Cover versions

The English post-punk group The Fall recorded a version of the song on '' The Real New Fall LP (Formerly Country on the Click)'' (2003). Apart from a harsh electronic introduction and minor changes to the lyrics, ''e.g.,'' chasing a £10 note rather than a dollar, The Fall interpretation is faithful to the original's melody and basic structure.

References

{{authority control 1965 singles 1965 songs Dean Martin songs Reprise Records singles Song recordings produced by Jimmy Bowen Songs written by Lee Hazlewood The Fall (band) songs