Never Been to Spain

About Never Been to Spain

"Never Been to Spain" is a song written by Hoyt Axton, originally released on his 1971 LP Joy to the World and later that year performed by Three Dog Night, with Cory Wells on lead vocal. It was featured on their 1971 album, Harmony. The song was produced by Richard Podolor. In the US, "Never Been to Spain" peaked at #5 on the Billboard chart, and #18 on the U. S. adult contemporary chart in 1972. Outside of the US, "Never Been to Spain" reached #3 in Canada and #34 in Australia. The lyrics consist of the narrator ruminating on places that he has never visited, but feels that he has some proxy experience of, via the music or other features of those places, or from having gone to similar locations. In the final verse, he observes that while he has "never been to heaven," he has "been to Oklahoma," where he was told he was born, thus implying a kinship between the two places. Hoyt Axton, who was born in Oklahoma explained that he originally wrote, "...in Oklahoma, born in a coma...." However, it was considered inappropriate; thus, the lyrics were changed to "not Arizona. more »