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. © 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:
- Richard Podolor
Lyrics Written by:
- Daniel Moore
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).