Arizona (song)

"Arizona" is a song written by Kenny Young and recorded in 1969 by Mark Lindsay, a solo effort while still lead singer for Paul Revere and the Raiders. Lindsay was backed by L.A. session musicians from the Wrecking Crew.[1] The single peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 14 February 1970 and was awarded a RlAA Gold Disc in April 1970.[2] A version by the British band The Family Dogg was also released in 1969.

This article is about the Kenny Young song. For the Hey Monday song, see Hold On Tight (album). For the 1981 country and western hit, see State songs of Arizona.
"Arizona"
Single by Mark Lindsay
from the album Arizona
B-side"Man from Houston"
ReleasedNovember 1969
GenrePop
Length3:06
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Kenny Young
Producer(s)Jerry Fuller
Mark Lindsay singles chronology
"First Hymn from Grand Terrace"
(1969)		 "Arizona"
(1969)		 "Miss America"
(1970)

Overview

The song's title, "Arizona", refers to the singer's girlfriend, whom he considers innocent and naïve. The singer wistfully describes Arizona's idealism and lifestyle, which he considers absurd and immature ("you're acting like a teeny bopper runaway child"). He then urges Arizona to discard her hippie trappings, including "hobo shoes", "rainbow shades", and "Indian braids", and view the world through more realistic eyes. However, even as he exhorts Arizona to become more worldly, the singer continues to praise her, describing Arizona as "a little-town saint". In the end, his love for Arizona and what she represents to him overcomes his cynicism, and the singer decides to follow her example, adopting her view of the world, instead of expecting her to accept his.[3]

Chart performance

References
  1. Hartman, Kent (2012). The Wrecking Crew. St. Martin’s Griffin. pp. 261–263. ISBN 978-1-250-03046-7.
  2. Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs. Barrie & Jenkins. ISBN 0-214-20480-4.
  3. Eddy, Chuck (1997). The Accidental Evolution of Rock 'n' Roll. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0-306-80741-6.
  4. Steffen Hung. "Forum - 1970 (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-02. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  5. "Item: 8087 - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  6. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  7. Flavour of New Zealand, 10 April 1970
  9. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 141.
  10. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 21, 1970". Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  11. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  12. "Top 100 Hits of 1970/Top 100 Songs of 1970". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
  13. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1970". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on 2012-09-22. Retrieved 2016-07-03.



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