The City Of New Orleans – Arlo Guthrie | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#18) and Adult Contemporary (#4); 1972
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
One day songwriter/folksinger Steve Goodman and his wife Nancy were taking the Illinois Central Railroad on their way to visit her ailing grandmother. With Nancy asleep beside him, Steve began writing down images he saw in the passing landscape and train cars. Eventually, he wandered down to the club car, and joined a couple of old men for a game of cards. The resulting tribute to “The City Of New
Orleans,” a daily train which ran between Chicago and New Orleans, appeared on Steve’s 1972 album. Arlo Guthrie, son of pioneering singer/songwriter Woody, saw the potential in City, recorded it, and rode it into the upper regions of the pop charts.
Another song on Steve’s album, You Never Even Called Me By My Name would become David Allan Coe’s signature tune. City also topped the country chart for Willie Nelson in 1984.
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:
- Lenny Waronker
- John Pilla
Lyrics Written by:
- Steve Goodman
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).