Shambala – Three Dog Night | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: Pop (#3); 1973

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

Three Dog Night’s name may refer to those dark hours in the Australian outback when it’s so darn cold you need three dogs to keep you warm, however, for five years they were one of the hottest bands in America. The band first charted in 1969 with a version of the 1923 hit Try A Little Tenderness – updated for the rock ‘n’ roll era by Otis Redding in 1966 – followed by the #5 One. From then on, Three Dog Night was a veritable hit assembly line, rolling out 18 Top 20 records in five years, among them the #1’s Mama Told Me Not To Come, Joy To The World, and Black & White. Following Black & White in 1972, TDN released Pieces Of April, which only reached #19, then roared back with Shambala. TDN specialized in discovering and recording great songs by outside writers, and Shambala was no exception. The week Shambala peaked at #3, composer Daniel Moore’s My Maria debuted, on its way to #9.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2023 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

• Richard Podolor

Lyrics Written by:

• Daniel Moore