Never Been Any Reason – Head East | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#68); 1975
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Originally known as the Timeations, Head East went public under its new name in August of 1969 in Carbondale, Illinois. By mid-1974 the line-up had settled down to Roger Boyd and John Schlitt (who first met at the University of Illinois), Steve Huston, Mike Somerville, and Dan Birney.
Head East released Flat As A Pancake – a name inspired by the local landscape – on its own Pyramid label. Pancake on Pyramid moved 5000 vinyl albums and 500 8-tracks before A&M picked it up.
The band’s new label re-released Pancake (with sides one and two reversed), and it hit the album chart in August. The track Never Been Any Reason, written by Somerville, followed as a single.
John Schlitt’s high-pitched lead vocal (shared with drummer Steve Huston) was sometimes mistaken for that of a female singer. Backed by national promotion and distribution, album and single climbed the charts. Never Been Any Reason peaked in December, 1975, while Flat As A Pancake was certified gold in 1978.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Head East
Lyrics Written by:
- Mike Somerville
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).