"Katmandu" is a song written and recorded by American rock artist
Bob Seger
Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, break ...
. It was initially released on his 1975 studio album ''
Beautiful Loser
''Beautiful Loser'' is the eighth studio album by American rock artist Bob Seger, released in 1975. This album marked Seger's return to Capitol Records after a four-year split. His previous record with Capitol was '' Brand New Morning'' in 1971 ...
'', which became the first of ten consecutive platinum albums for Seger. The song was later featured on his live album ''
Live Bullet
''‘Live’ Bullet'' is a live album by American rock band Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, released in April 1976. It was recorded at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan, during the heyday of that arena's time as an important rock concert venue ...
''. The single edit reached number 43 on the US Top 40, becoming Seger's most successful single since "
Ramblin' Gamblin' Man
''Ramblin' Gamblin' Man'' is the debut album by American rock band the Bob Seger System, released in 1969.
Musical style
The music of ''Ramblin' Gamblin' Man'' has been classified as blues rock, folk, garage rock, heavy rock, psychedelic r ...
". The song was featured in the soundtracks of the 1985 film ''
Mask
A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...
'', the 16th episode of ''
Freaks and Geeks
''Freaks and Geeks'' is an American teen comedy-drama television series created by Paul Feig and executive-produced by Judd Apatow that aired on NBC during the 1999–2000 television season. The show is set in a suburban high school near Detr ...
'', the tenth episode of the eighth season of ''
Supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
'', and in the 2009 documentary ''
Journey to Everest
Journey or journeying may refer to:
* Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations
** Day's journey, a measurement of distance
** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road
Animals
* Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...
''.
Content
The song refers to the city
Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
, the capital of
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, although there is no evidence that Seger visited Kathmandu prior to 1991.
After the
Nepali earthquake of 2015, Seger said his "heart went out" to the city.
Seger said of the song:
Reception
''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' called it "fine, tight, rock and roll," saying the song "is punctuated with classic
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...
-style guitar, down-home rockin' piano and fine vocal stylizing by Bob."
Chart performance
References
{{authority control
1975 singles
Bob Seger songs
Songs written by Bob Seger
Capitol Records singles
1975 songs
Song recordings produced by Bob Seger